I Capture the Sun
by Little Cherry Tree
Summary: Complete. Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middleearth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.
1. Part I

**I Capture the Sun**

**Title**: I Capture the Sun

**Author**: The Little Cherry Tree, aka Alpha

**Genre**: Fantasy/Action/Adventure and a little bit of romance.

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: Set well before the time of the Fellowship (around fifty years), in which case Buffy has already been in "Heaven" for some time (I would like to say between twenty and thirty years). So approximately thirty five years passed while Buffy was in Heaven before her friends took her out of it. So, Buffy came to be in Middle-earth about seventy years before the Fellowship.

_Thank you for taking the time to read the legal tender. Now onwards with the story!_

**- - -**

**Part 1**

**- - -**

The horns blew at dawn.

Those encamped in the narrow circle of tents and horses sprang to their feet as utter chaos fell around them.

For a moment, they wondered why their scouts had sounded the alarm.

And then all hell broke loose.

There was a loud cry as a figure came from the shadows, a sword flashing in her hands. There were more cries, all of them undoubtedly female. The men in the camp quickly came to arms, but by the time they had arranged themselves into some sort of order, their captain had been pulled aside by a slender figure wielding a dangerous-looking sword. Her eyes were flashing with hatred as she held the tip to their faithful Captain's neck.

"Put down your weapons," she called clearly.

All of the men complied with her order, hoping she would release her hold on their Captain, but she did not do anything of the like. Instead, she glared forcefully at all of the faces staring at her with a mixture of fear, uncertainty and awe.

"What are you doing in this land?" another voice asked. This figure was taller and carried a bow, looking slightly angered. "You pass through the land of the Lady of Shadow."

The men all glanced at one another, sudden understanding in their eyes. They had heard the tales of a woman who fought alone by night, taking out many foes.

"You lie," the Captain said, spluttering through his shattered nose as the woman's grip around his neck tightened.

"Take a good look, buddy," the figure hissed before shoving him forcefully to the ground. As she did, she revealed herself, her sword falling to her side, her eyes full of fury. "You wanna see a living legend? Here I am. You hear those stories that all those old men told of this woman who came and fought at night? You're looking at her. This is my land, so I suggest you get the hell out of here before we decide to party."

There was a rustling in the bushes as more women came, all of them in long black trousers and tunic-tops, wielding swords, bows and spears. They all wore the same look, one of mingled fury.

"We travel to Dunharrow, my Lady," said one of the lieutenants, taking a step forward. The woman turned and silenced him with her piercing hazel-eyed gaze.

"You want passage, you ask for it," she snapped. "I have not spent the last two decades making this land safe only to have men come and spread their... filth about it." Her eyes regarded him coldly. "You've got two hours. Get out of here, or I'll let these girls have some fun."

It was obvious she wasn't just saying these words, as some of the women looked positively delighted. They all turned to the men with a sort of hungered look in their eyes.

"Long have you gone unchecked through our land," the dark-haired woman said, standing next to the somewhat shorter woman.

"We only ask to travel through the hills," the Captain said, his hand cupping the flow of blood from his nose. "There is nothing else we ask."

The woman with the fair-colored hair regarded him for a moment, but then stepped hard on something upon the ground and a small axe went flipping into her hand.

"You have two hours," she said softly, a brief flash of compassion in her eyes. "Now get out of here. We've fought both the pointy-ears and the straight-backs. There's a reason why no man has passed this land in five years... and that's me."

"But--" the lieutenant protested weakly, his voice falling away as the dark-haired woman glared at him.

"You dare deny an order from a royal?" she asked coldly.

"Siri, down," the blonde said, stepping into the light of their camp. "Get out while you still can," she told the lieutenant calmly. "There are worse things than Elves in these hills."

Then, spinning, she disappeared. The dark-haired woman and a few others followed, but those surrounding the camp stood their ground, their weapons in their hands, obviously making due on the threat of the woman.

The captain sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Break camp," he uttered in frustration. "We do not need the company of the Shadow upon us."

"My lord," the lieutenant said weakly. "We must get through to Rohan!"

"We will take the long passage," the captain said with resignation. "Or have you not heard the tales of the Lady of Shadow?"

As the men started to pack their tents and arm themselves, the women disappeared into the Shadow. They started to discuss, among other things, the Lady herself.

"She is much smaller than legend says," one of the men said.

"Legend does not say much of her size," the lieutenant retorted. "All I have heard from the tales is that she appeared in this land decades ago, and has united the women of the old fighting clans of Dunland in the west. Since then, she has used her army to fight off many foes. Many regard her as entertainment, but today we saw something different."

"I should say," the soldier said dryly as he slipped on his cloak.

As the men gathered their horses and set off back to the north and west, a figure stood alone on top of the hill, her spear in hand, gazing as the strangers disappeared back into the woods. A figure soon joined her, a taller, dark-haired woman dressed in a long, emerald cloak.

"They're gone," the blonde said softly.

"They should have been taken," the dark-haired woman snapped. "Why did you not give the order?"

"I'm not going to kill my own people, Siri," the blonde said with a sigh. "Good as their intentions were, I don't think they wanted to hurt anyone."

"They would have killed you had you not stopped their call to arms," Siri replied waspishy. "You were foolish to stand--"

"Stop, you hear me? Just... stop."

Siri stared at her, resentment flashing in her eyes before she stalked off, her cloak floating behind her. The blonde turned back to the woods as the first sliver of pink appeared on the horizon. Letting out a long breath, she turned at last and started walking back towards the forest awaiting her.

She soon found their small refuge in the trees. Many of the women regarded her with awe. Some of them bowed. She just found it haplessly annoying.

Why should they worship someone who deserved none of that honor? A Lady, they called her, as though she were some red-blooded royal. In truth, she had united these factions of banished women under her sword-arm to take out some nasty evil Elves. They had fought their fair share of wargs and orc. It had taken her twenty years to gain their trust, and only Siri, the rightful heir to this clan, opposed her decisions from time to time.

But the truth was, this was Heaven. Or at least the Heaven that Buffy Summers saw it as. The women only knew her as Buffy, but few spoke her name out of fear she would unleash her power upon them. The thought of doing that to Siri made her smirk, yet she held her tongue. Siri had been one of her strongest supporters in the beginning, only to spend the past year opposing nearly every decision Buffy had made. Including the one today. One of their scouts had seen a party of soldiers come in to answer a call from Rohan. Feeling as though they should at least warn these men, Buffy had made the call to intercept but not destroy. She wasn't heartless. She still had one of those.

These women had no one to trust, no one to turn to. They despised the baddies from Mordor, the orcs and the wargs. They didn't like the Elves, who picked them off one by one, considering these women from Dunland to be some sort of enemy. And the Rangers certainly didn't appreciate a pack of wild women being led by a strong woman. Yes, they had many enemies.

Buffy was going to make certain that the common man was not one of them.

She reached the base of a ladder and climbed it, disappearing into her own brightly-lit area. It was a house in the trees, a place where royalty slept. She laughed bitterly as she disarmed herself. A sword, axe and spear all clanked on the neatly planked wooden floor.

The chair she usually curled up in for hours was sitting underneath the eaves. She took it, undoing her armor and dumping it unceremoniously on the floor. Taking the seat, she pulled her knees up to her chest and clasped her arms around them.

Had it really been more than twenty years since she'd first shown up from a hole in the sky? It certainly seemed to be so. She'd arrived in the middle of a field, only to be "rescued" by two wayward men. They had taken her to their village on the edge of the Misty Mountains. It was there that she'd met Siri, a child of only eight back then. Her father was the leader of their particular band of people. He spoke that his people were among the last of the free peoples of this Middle-earth.

Buffy knew enough to know that this wasn't exactly her fair idea of Heaven, but it was close. The land was absolutely breaktaking and she spent hours upon hours out in the hills surveying meadows and trees alike. It was far beyond peaceful out here, and she truly felt free. She also knew that everyone back in California was all right, no matter where they were.

It was only when they had asked her to take up arms did she feel complete. It wouldn't be a Slayer's version of Heaven without bloodshed, she decided. The village had been all but destroyed in two consequential attacks from Mordor. Siri's mother had been appointed a leader and led her female warriors against the orcs. It was upon her deathbed did she tell Buffy the truth: she didn't want this life. She wanted to be free. After making Buffy promise she would look after Siri, she died in Buffy's arms.

That had been so long ago, before the Elves and the Rangers. The Elves were more of a nuisance than anything, since their 'village' was at the foot of the Mirkwood, a place some King revered above anyone. But since the woodland Elves were in their own state of turmoil, Buffy mostly left them alone.

The Rangers had been another story. Brutal, cold and deadly accurate, they had taken nearly half of the women in the first year. Buffy had refused to let them take all of the women, so she had formed an army. Siri, being only ten years old, had been given a sword. Twenty years later, she still carried her father's sword and had a deep hatred for all strangers. Buffy had been her leader and her adopted mother. Buffy was hopeful and strong and carried a lot of power, and many of the surviving women had flocked to her. Even though Dunland was to the south and west, Buffy kept their place in the trees, basically because it offered unlimited access to the orc that constantly assailed Mirkland.

"My lady?" a voice asked from the doorway. Buffy lifted her chin from her kneecaps and saw one of the women standing there. "The scout has returned; the men from this morning have left this land. They are going south to the mountains."

"Good," Buffy said grumpily. "I really didn't want to hurt them anyway."

The woman looked almost uneasy as she took another step closer. "Siri believes we should have taken them. They would have made valuable hostages."

"You want to know something?" Buffy asked the woman, frowning slightly. "I don't care. These men are fighting in a war to the south of us. They're fighting the orcs and all the other baddies while we sit here and get picked off one by one. One of these days, the Elves are going to remember that we're a bloody thorn in their side and they're going to come after us."

"The women of the court agree with that," the woman, whose name was Meira and had appointed herself as Buffy's official hand-maiden, despite Buffy's hasty attempts to shoo the woman away all of the time. "Siri says she has a plan to repel the Elves permanently."

"I'm not surprised," Buffy muttered. "Siri's got a mind for violence."

"She only wants revenge against those who murdered her family," Meira replied. "Siri's father was killed by the Elves and the orc killed her mother."

Buffy closed her eyes as she disappeared twenty three years into the past. There was the sound of screaming and the scent of burning wood. She saw herself, then a young woman of twenty, running around with an axe in her hands, the only one to repel the dark Elves as they swept eagerly through the village, burning and slaughtering everything.

Across the field, there was a tall man on a horse, surrounded by others. Many rushed to their Prince to ask what had to be done. Buffy would have joined him had eight-year-old Siri not been wandering around the burnt-out wreckage of her home. Buffy had dived in front of one of the archers and had managed to knock him away before running with Siri to safety.

She had seen the blade, too, as it had spun through the air. It had caught the middle of their Prince's back and with a startled cry, he fell sideways from his horse, his screams cut off abruptly as he landed, his eyes wide and startled. He had been dead before he had touched the ground.

Buffy opened her eyes again and glanced up at Meira. "Maybe it's time we do something about those Elves. It's been nearly a year since Mordor attacked. It might be a good time to go on the offensive."

"Siri will appreciate that you agree," Meira said, sounding relieved by Buffy's answer. "I will tell her."

"Go for it," Buffy said. As Meira left, Buffy rested and stared at the trees swaying gently above her.

She had no idea what she was thinking, really. Why would she want to hurt these immortal beings?

Maybe because Buffy herself was immortal. She wasn't, not completely. But she had survived how many battles and wars and the only scar on her body was the markings of the Master's bite upon her neck. Since she was already dead, she was basically a vampire in this world, only one that could walk around and live in the sunlight.

She'd had to endure her own blows and suffer her own defeats, but that didn't make her any less of a leader.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself, staring out at the brilliant blue sky above them. "Am I doing the right thing?"

She believed that fighting to keep these people alive was essential. She knew this; she had died because of this. She wasn't about to let these people die.

Siri held counsel that night in her chambers. Buffy, as well as a few other women, joined her.

"I need your help with something," Siri told her, gently pulling her aside. "I know what Meira told you. I don't know if it will be of any use, but I believe that this is the right thing to do. Dol Guldur has long remained quiet, and for this..." Her voice trailed off and she glanced into the distance.

"We are not taking on a stronghold of Mordor or those neurotic wraiths," Buffy snapped, pushing her blonde hair back. "No. I won't do it, even if it gets us within a foot of those wretched Elves."

"I see no alternative other than taking the River," Siri replied hastily.

"Neither one of those is good enough to even consider telling them about," Buffy replied, gesturing to the women waiting patiently in the room beyond their present location. "Have you thought about them? Some of them are just girls, Siri! We can't ask them to just give up their lives on a chance we could inflict damage!"

"Then you come up with a better idea, because I am done waiting here to die," Siri replied, angrily turning away. It was the cold, brutal grip of the Slayer's hand that caught her off-guard.

"Never, ever speak to me like that," Buffy said in a very low, very cold voice. Her hazel eyes sparkled in the evening light like chips of iced cream. "I have done everything in my power to make sure you lived until you're an adult. It's time to start making decisions not based on violence and bloodshed. Revenge only works if you don't get killed."

Siri gave her a look of deep disgust before pulling away towards the room, sealing Buffy off. She sighed and crossed her arms. What had she done to deserve such hostility from the girl? Buffy had practically raised Siri since she was eight, and now, twenty years later, Siri was as cold and brutal as... Faith.

"She's going to get herself and everyone else killed," Buffy murmured, running a hand through her hair before pushing past the door and walking in on the meeting.

Siri broke off and glared haughtily across the chamber. "Do you have anything to add, your royal highness?"

"Nothing," Buffy said shortly, sitting down. Siri gave her a cold, calculating look before grinning. There was no warmth left in her eyes as she turned back to the women to explain her latest plan to get all of them killed.

She had no time for Siri to be the reckless hero. She had no time for women who didn't know what they were fighting for other than the fact they were separated hundreds of miles from their loved ones. They were surrounded by the stronghold of Dol Guldur and Mirkwood to the north, Mordor to the east and Lorien to the south. No, they really had no chance to get out of this unless they headed west into the mountains, and the last time that had happened...

Buffy closed her eyes as she listened to the women's enthusiastic response. One of them rose and looked at her leader, her eyes shining even in the dim candlelight surrounding them.

"What do you make of Siri's plan?" she asked, gently resting her hand on Buffy's shoulder.

"Which plan is it this time?" Buffy asked, glancing up and meeting Siri's gaze head-on. Siri looked away under Buffy's brutally realistic look.

"She believes we need to defeat the stronghold of--"

"Are you out of your minds, all of you?" Buffy gasped, standing up so fast her chair tipped backwards. "Do you have any idea how dead we are if we just stroll through the trees? That hold is guarded by more than just Orcs. You know as well as I do those wraiths are there, and they kill. How many of us have they already taken? One hundred? One thousand? Answer me."

The women all looked uncomfortable, until Siri crossed her arms and let out a low whistle. "I do not agree with you," she said calmly, smiling slightly at the put-out look in her leader's eyes. "Maybe they killed us, but we were not ready to face them. We are now. You have shown us that we can fight, that we can kill."

"You'll all die," Buffy said angrily. "Every last one of you. Can you live with the blood on your hands, Siri? Can you honestly live with yourself if you walk all of these women into a trap?"

"How have you done it?" Siri retorted. "How have you been able to walk and breathe and sleep while my Father's blood is on yours? You have not been protecting us from the outside, you have been protecting us from you!"

"It doesn't matter. I'm the leader. What I say goes, and it's my call. You all have to fall in line," Buffy snapped.

"Not anymore," Siri replied, and she gently relaxed her arms. "I have spent the past twenty years with you playing my Mother. She would have been ashamed of you, pretending you know what is in our greatest interest. My Father died trying to free his people. The most you have done with us is condemn us to death in these trees. My people are not from the trees. We come from the west and that still means something. Nay, I am done hiding. I am done learning. It is time I do something, and as the rightful heir to my Queendom, I shall say it stops here."

"It doesn't stop," Buffy said, leaning on the table. "Siri, it never stops! Evil will never stop hunting you. Even if you cross the mountains and get to the other side, there is still the old Kingdom of Angmar to worry about. There are still the northern Orc. And the men do not trust any from your Father's village to live."

"I will not fight you, because I know you would destroy me," Siri said, taking out her beautifully-crafted Woodland blade and jamming it into the table, still standing. "But I am not going to watch my people die. You may have been the one my Mother chose as her successor, but you will never be my leader, anymore."

The other women in the council were eying both women with fear, trepidation and anxiety. They really didn't know which one to trust, if there was one they could. All they could do was see which woman would win the battle of wills, and surprisingly enough, it was Siri who had the upper-hand.

"What would you do in my stead?" Siri taunted coldly. "Would you sit up here making little bows and arrows and expect all of us to tend to you hand and foot? You have taught us to be fighters, Buffy. You have taught us to be someone. Is everything we have spent the past twenty years learning, has it all been a lie?"

"No," Buffy said, lowering her eyes. "It wasn't a lie."

"But you think I am being reckless," Siri said, still in her taunting voice. "Which leader led the women into the Anduin and managed to--"

"No," said another voice. It wasn't Buffy's, but another woman, one of the few elders remaining from the original village. "No, Siri. Do not speak of this. It is not wise to attack one who is both stronger and wiser than yourself. All of you, go."

Buffy remained, her eyes on the table as the others left, Siri's glowing smile of triumph the last remaining twist to the dagger sticking out of her back.

"They don't understand," Buffy said the moment the door closed. "They don't know what it's like... to be so torn inside, to not know the decisions... they don't know what it's like to be dead."

The older woman put a gnarled hand upon her shoulder before gently pushing Buffy into her chair and taking the one seated next to it.

"They may never know, my child, but they know you. They trust you. There may have been disaster and folley... but I will be damned to see all of the work we have done under your command go to waste with the reckless thoughts of an enraged woman."

"She's right," Buffy said, turning to the woman. "I can't change the fact she's the only survivor of the royal family. She's an adult now. It's time for her to take charge of these people and if that means to kill them off in one valiant battle, it's her choice. I'm wrong to keep making these decisions..."

"Your decisions have kept us alive," the old woman replied, a fire in her voice that hadn't been there for nearly a decade. "It was their choice to keep you as leader, even when Siri's claiming came to pass, she accepted you. If you let her lead now, many will die. I will not see the last of my house fade because of her reckless abandons."

"I hate being dead," Buffy sighed, running a hand over her face, which looked exactly the same as when she had arrived in this place nearly twenty five years earlier. "I hate the fact that they're here. And I hate the fact that there's nothing I can do to change this destiny."

"It was given to you, my child, upon Erae's death," the old woman replied. "You saved the life of her last child and she gave you her crown, there is no shame in that."

Buffy opened her mouth to reply when a shrill scream pierced the darkness.

"Under attack! Attack!"

Both women stood up abruptly. "Go," the woman said. "I will hide."

"Stay safe," Buffy replied, as she burst out onto the balcony and glanced down. She saw flaming arrows shooting in all directions and the sounds of chaos reigning in the encampment below.

She made her way quickly to the armory, despite the fact it was across the encampment. Dodging flying arrows and blades, she guessed their assailants to be Orc. Once she was on the ground, her suspicions were confirmed.

A group led by Meira was trying to fight back the driving force, but even through her enhanced senses, Buffy could see others going around the back for an entrapment. Taking her axe, she spun around, directing her own company to the other end. Once they had reached it, all hell broke loose. She took on the entire back line of the enemy by herself as the rest of the women went to find help. She had taken down more than a half dozen when the sounds of screaming were heard from above: Meira's line had broken.

"Fall back!" Buffy shouted as she pushed one of the Orc away, lifting her sword from just under his chin. "Fall back!"

As she turned, she saw, with horror in her eyes, the signs of a camp falling apart at the seams. She saw Meira being clubbed unnecessarily by a large group of Orc. She saw Siri being dragged backwards, her sword falling from her hands, her scream endlessly piercing the night.

The last thing she saw was a figure coming towards her, a hammer raised in the air.

She didn't feel the blow.

But everything had already fallen to darkness.

- - -

Thus begins Buffy's newest adventure. In the second part, we will learn of her attackers and see what the outcome of this latest attack.

Buffy's story of her coming into Middle-earth will not be told in its entirety. Instead, an account will be made through flashbacks, stories and other sequences to fill in the reader. And we will note that the arrival of the other said partner will be arriving in the next chapter.


	2. Part II

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years.

**Gratitudes**: Thank you for the rather large number of reviews for a rather short section. I will say that currently this story is rounding out between 18 and 20 chapters and will incorporate both the world of Middle-earth and (eventually) Sunnydale. So, listing you off because of my gratitude, special thanks to (in the order to which you reviewed), _Jules, zayra _(I hope it stays that way), _Anonymous, Anna_ (I went back to correct the error, thank you for telling me!), _BuffyandDracoLover__, Renna_ (I'm not sure about the whole perfect-together theme, but they are so much fun to read), _txalb__, GwEnDoLyN P. MaLfOy _(Those are the ones I have not yet had a chance to read; I am mostly a Buffy/LOTR crossover kind of lady), _goldenshadows__, CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur _(you have such a fun name) and _sweetypie15_.

**Part Summary**: Buffy finds herself trapped in a hell-like situation while the Mirkwood Elves investigate a disaster that left most of a village of women dead.

**Part Warning**: _Violence and torture lie ahead._

_Those with the feint of heart return. _

_For our Slayer has for certain bled. _

_And her hopes are ready to burn_.

- - - - -

**Part II**

- - - - -

Buffy wasn't aware she still had legs after the hours upon hours of being forced to walk on them, her hands bound by some sort of mail painfully behind her. The whip they kept using to get her to move was biting painfully into her stinging skin, which after hours of relentless beating had finally started to bruise and bleed. If that hadn't been bad enough, there were also the other methods of torture. One of the Orc had come to her, forcing her to drink the blood from their spiked canteen until she had retched the horrid tasting liquid from her mouth, along with the little she had eaten for dinner. Being hit across the face at every available moment didn't help, and she knew from the fact her head had collided with a rock that she had cracked something. There was also the issue of the clotted wound at the base of her skull, which she supposed happened when they knocked her unconscious with their hammers.

She didn't need to be a genius to know they were taking her to Dol Guldur.

Still, they made her walk on her bruised feet, removed of boots. Forced to walk barefoot where the ground was cutting and biting into her feet did not make her a happy Slayer.

This was her hell; she was being forced to endure torture after death, which is something she had never wanted nor asked for, and the Powers were going to suffer tremendously for dumping her in a previous world that had such horrible terrors.

Or maybe it had been she who had chosen this life. She had, after all, chosen to fight when she could have blissfully ignored the perils of this world and walked the world alone. But Buffy had already lived the isolated life. She didn't intend to have her afterlife be something like her real life, and had chosen to stay in the village which had rescued her.

Twenty years later, she had just lost out on the worst part: most, if not all of the women would have died in that fight. They hadn't been as prepared as she had thought. It scared her, knowing how many women could have died and she did not want to have that blood on her hands. But it already was, in this so-called Heaven. At least the village was far enough away from the circle of protection in the woods. There was still hope that the men and children had survived even if the women had not.

She walked on, not trying to dwell how completely miserable they were making her Afterlife, trying to break her down. Buffy Summers didn't break easily. She hadn't as a leader of a bunch of women, nor was she about to break as a prisoner of stinking rot. They could chain her, beat her and whip her, but she would never yield. She couldn't die again, since she was already dead, and that thought wasn't comforting.

There were worse things than death.

- - - -

Siri pushed herself up to a sitting position, one hand cradling her aching head and the other arm tucked beside her from being twisted and broken. She cried out, one of the only voices heard in the eerie silence. She glanced up at the darkness above her and sighed as she struggled to her feet. As she did, a body fell from her legs and onto the ground. With a gasp, she leapt back as the wide, open gaze of one of the women she had so vehemently called the village of her own was staring lifelessly up at her.

"Oh," she said softly as she glanced around. She had never realized how alone she felt. "Hello?" she called out, stepping over the woman's body and twisting this way and that to peer into the darkness. "Hello?"

She was greeted by naught but silence. Letting out a small, wounded sound, she gingerly stepped into the circle of light coming from the stars above. "Is anyone alive?" she asked, in a voice lacking energy and hope. She didn't know what to do in this case. There were bodies everywhere. The ground was bathed with deep red and shiny black blood.

"Buffy," she whispered, glancing hither and thither as she circled around the camp. "Buffy!"

She rarely used the name of the woman who led them. She didn't have much use for it. Buffy had been a thorn in her inheritance, but more than ever, she wished the older woman was present. She had never felt more alone. There was little they could do until morning, and while she rested, maybe some of the others would come to. She knew she was grasping at straws by pretending that anyone else could be alive after such massacre, but she had to trust in hope, for there was little else to trust in.

She tried to focus on their leader. The last glimpse she had was of Buffy fighting off a large hoard of Orc while being dragged backwards against them. If she was dead, she had gone down fighting. Siri wasn't going to even pretend to be shocked about that; Buffy had proven herself more than once. She had led them from the beginning, when there had been so many enemies wishing to wipe out a small colony of women. She only hoped the rest of the village was still in tact, leagues into the woods.

She slowly crept onto one of the broken rope ladders and forced herself to climb to the top, cradling her wounded arm to her. As soon as she reached the burnt-out hull of the landing, she retreated to the cracked railing and gazed out over the camp, scanning for any signs of life or movement. There was nothing to even suggest anyone could have survived. Letting out a whimper, she sat down on the landing, feeling her heart sink into the pits of her stomach.

Closing her eyes against the rise of nausea from the pain in her body, she leaned her head back against the trunk of the tree, forcing herself to take deep, even breaths. Forcing herself to think positively despite the fact she desperately wanted to sleep, she kept her eyes on the ceiling and tried more labored breathing. She was feeling so exhausted… but the people in the village needed to be warned that the outward post had been destroyed and their leader, the leader of the group of women and the leader of the village, was more than likely dead.

Siri had wanted the authority. She just didn't want it to end this way. She wanted Buffy here, because Buffy would know what to do. She had led them through massacres and disasters. She had always been strong enough to pull everyone together in a crisis. Siri didn't know where to begin.

At last she fell asleep.

Only to awaken several hours later by the feel of a cool hand on her flushed face. Siri's eyes flew open, expecting to see Buffy sitting above her. She was most relieved when she saw one of the Amazons staring at her.

"Siri?" the soft voice asked.

"I am here, Mauve," she said, sitting up and feeling even sicker than the night before. The sunlight was so bright in the sky as she tried to push herself into the corner into the shadows.

"You're hurt," Mauve continued, gently reaching for Siri, who hissed in pain. Lifting a bit of linen, she tenderly bound Siri's twisted arm.

"I believe it is only broken," Siri moaned.

"Mauve!" a voice shouted far below. "There is movement in the woods!"

Mauve made the call for arms. Siri tilted to the side, feeling her consciousness slip again. As Mauve made her way to the bottom, women emerged from the trees, armed. A small party had already left to inform the village of the attack, and the bodies of the dead women, Meira included, had been buried beyond their sight.

What passed through the trees surprised even them.

They were Elves, on horseback.

Mauve lifted her bow and held her arrow taught as the rest of the women followed suit. "Halt!" she said commandingly. "Why do you pass this land? It belongs to the Lady of the Shadow."

"We have come to seek the Lady," said the first Elf, gliding off of his horse and approaching Mauve, his hands raised. "Please, we do not wish for hostility."

Mauve lowered her bow and nodded. "Very well. Lower your arms," she said, ordering the other women to stand down.

"We must speak with your Lady, for we fear she will be attacked by the forces of Dol Guldur."

"I wish you would have been here last night when the attack came," Mauve snapped. "We lost thirty six good women, and another fifty have been wounded. Do you come to bring us other late tidings, or do you just wish to bandy words?"

"We wish to speak with your Lady," the Elf continued.

"Oroduín," said another quiet voice as another Elf approached. He glowed ethereally in the brilliant sunlight, making his skin look as though it were burning from within.

"Who are you?" one of the other lieutenants asked. Mauve felt the woman tense, her bow still held tightly in her grasp.

"You're him, aren't you?" a voice asked from above them. Siri was hanging off the landing, laughing wildly. "The very one we intended to see for dead and he has just come into our camp to make peace?"

"You know nothing of what we have been through," Mauve said quietly to the Elves. "Our… Lady, she has disappeared. We can only fear she is dead or captured."

"To hear of her capture is ill-news indeed," said the glowing Elf, frowning slightly. "Of myself, I am named Legolas."

"The Prince," Siri's voice spat out. "The Prince has finally come for mercy when our leader has disappeared. How do we know you did not take her?"

"Siri, do not speak!" Mauve said, lifting her hand. "I was Buffy's second lieutenant, and you are wounded. Desist talking, please."

"Is she wounded," the Elf called Oroduín asked briskly.

"Her arm is broken and she suffers from ills in the head," Mauve replied.

As two Elves broke off from their party to bring Siri down, she shrieked and kicked out at them. "Be gone! Demons, stay away from me!"

"She has trust issues with the Elf-kind," Mauve told Legolas and Oroduín under her breath. "They… they killed her family."

"I understand," Legolas said, with surprising persistence of vision. "Do you have other wounded?"

"They were taken by the other posts to the village," Mauve replied.

"Why are you telling them this?" Siri shouted from above. "They are demons, all of them! If you tell them, they will only bring you death faster."

Mauve closed her eyes. Siri's complaining was really trying on her patience. "Siri, stop talking!" she snapped, turning around to face the figure twelve feet above. "Buffy is gone and is no longer our leader! You have been wounded and are most likely ill in the head. I do not trust your judgment Siri. I cannot trust your judgment. These Elves can help us."

"They killed my family!" Siri screamed, just as the two Elves came at her from above and lifted her up, and screaming brought her to the ground. Siri fell unceremoniously at their feet and glared up at Mauve. "You have betrayed Buffy. You have betrayed us all. You are nothing but an elf-loving whore. I do not see why Buffy trusted you with her life."

"As though she could ever trust you?" Mauve asked tightly.

"I would not betray her to these… these beings!" Siri snapped, sluggishly getting to her feet and turning to the Elves, bitterness and contempt flashing in her dark eyes. "Buffy was above them. She will come for us."

"She is likely dead," the lieutenant to the left of Mauve said quietly. "We found her sword. She was not among the women we found amongst her."

"Why did you want to see her?" Mauve asked, bringing her gaze back to Legolas. "You know she would kill you had she the chance."

"We had come to bring her warning against an imminent attack," the golden-haired Elf replied. His piercing cerulean eyes took in Mauve's haughty gaze and Siri's distrustful one. "Will you be able to care for your wounded? Do we need assistance?"

"Even if we needed it, we would never ask an Elf," Siri snapped, turning on her heel and pushing her way through Mauve's archers.

"Nay, lord," Mauve said, lowering her eyes and bowing her head slightly.

"We will assist and find your Lady," Legolas replied. "My King has reasons to speak with her."

Siri stopped cold. "Your… King?" she asked, turning, her eyes glittering in the darkness. In her mind lay the plan for destroying the Mirkwood Elves once and for all. If Buffy were to be captured by these… Elves, their plan could be put forth. "Very well," she said silkily, moving back to the circle of Elves, ignoring the penetrating gazes of both Legolas and Oroduín. "We could use assistance in helping to retrieve her from the Orcs," she said commandingly. "If you wish to bring her to your King, we have no objections."

Mauve, who had been present when the plan to cleanse Dol Guldur had been announced, turned to Siri, suspicion flashing in her own blue-grey gaze. Siri ignored her and bowed her head mockingly. "Now, Elves, get out of here before the rest of our posts come. We will fall back to the village, so worry not about our condition. I will take command, and Mauve with me. Our Lady's fate shall be in your immortal hands."

As Legolas turned to Oroduín to discuss her proposal, Mauve leaned close to Siri. "What are your intentions, Siri?"

"If our Lady goes before the King, the kingdom of the Elves will fall," Siri said, her face shining with anticipation. "This attack on our encampment has proven more fruitful than I deemed possible."

"Many women died," Mauve snapped. "If you had partaken in any of the burials…"

"It matters not," Siri said slyly, watching as Oroduín stepped forward to address her.

"We will ride at once," he said, bowing at the waist before he and Legolas returned to their horses, drawing north.

"So shall we, Mirkwood," she said, watching as the ethereal beings disappeared into the forest. "The next time I see thee, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, it will be your head on my Lady's spear delivered to me, as I have dreamt about night after night. The next time I shall lay eyes upon you, Elf… you will be dead, and I will rejoice."

- - - - -

It took a rather short amount of time, considering all of the walking they'd put her through, to finally reach the Dark land of Dol Guldur. As they marched her to the gates, they announced they had a gift for the warden in their tongues of Black.

"Tell our Lord we have brought him a mighty gift," one of the Orcs snarled, and grabbing the chain connecting to the tie around her neck, Buffy flew forward and landed on the ground in front of the wardens, who looked at her in surprise.

"It is a woman," said the warden, sounding sarcastic as he glanced down at the woman, who slowly raised her gaze to meet his. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the darkness in her piercing hazel gaze. Her face was a patchwork quilt of cuts and bruises. There was a deep cut on the right side of her cheek. There were smaller scratches running from her left ear down both sides of her neck, where he saw the two-pronged puncture wound. The flesh on her neck where the rope had cut into her was raw and starting to seep. Her hair was as fair and golden-spun, and tied back so tightly that the skin on her face appeared stretched. Her garments were those of a Man, yet she carried such short stature, they could not figure out to do with her.

"Behold, the Lady of Shadow," the Orc said, kicking her forward. Buffy struggled against her constraints and glanced up, her eyes grim and not showing the excruciating pain in her neck and her wrists. Her feet were bare, cut and bleeding openly on the black rock she was forced to walk upon. She seemed to be waiting to hear what the wardens had to say, and when the warden lifted his hand, the Orc holding her leash jerked the chain and she tumbled backwards, hard.

Yet she made no sound of fury or of agony. She pulled back to her knees, her forehead on the ground before lifting cold, determined eyes.

"This, this is the Lady of the Shadows?" the warden asked, mocking her. "This is the lady we have all come to fear and grow to despise? This is the one who plots our Lord's destruction?" The loud, manic laughter that followed sickened the young woman on the feet in front of them, yet her eyes were cold as she struggled to her feet, despite her cracked, bleeding feet and her many exterior injuries.

"Yeah, that's right," she said, smirking up at him. She was rewarded for this insolence by a fierce backhand that sent her sprawling back onto the ground. The leash-master gave no leeway, so she was starting to turn slightly blue as she sat up again, the collar around her neck pulled so tightly it cut off life-saving oxygen.

Spitting out blood onto the ground, she raised her bruised eyes, her smile taunting. "You can play torture all you want," she said, grinning a bloody smile. "I'll never break."

"That will be for the Winged Shadow to decide," the warden said, at last turning to beckon them into the Nazgûl stronghold of Dol Guldur. "The vales of Anduin have been most fruitful. Bring her."

Buffy didn't draw her gaze away until the last moment. As she passed, her eyes held her last warning. "When I walk out of here, free as a bird, I'm killing you."

The warden just laughed at her.

Turning her determined face back to the walk forward, she continued on her way, not wanting to give the Orc any more incentive to abuse her already battered body. Her neck was aching, her feet were numb, and her heart was heavy with the knowledge of what was to come.

She drew a shuddering breath, wondering how much more of this "Heaven" she could take.

She was about to face the one person that Siri had wanted her to take on, unwittingly and unyielding. Buffy knew the dangers of coming face-to-face with this malice. He was darker that stone, many would say. There was a reason he was known as the 'Lord of Shadow'. Her own nickname had been of Siri's invention, asking her why she acted like a Shadow, lurking among the branches and quietly assessing the strengths and skills of the women under her command. Thus her own nickname as the Lady of Shadow had come to pass.

There was no doubt in her mind that Sauron knew of this Lady. She knew of him only because of the ancient stories foretold by Siri's father, the Prince of the small southern lands of Rhovanion, where his people had prospered many years before so much death came upon the arrival of the winged nine in their lands. Buffy had spent nearly two years in this peaceful nation before the reigns had been given to her, once again, unwittingly. Buffy would have loved nothing more than to find a small house and learn how to live the perfect life in Heaven, but the Slayer inside had insisted she take on the role of Amazon. It had been Siri's idea, once again, to create an army out of girls.

She laughed bitterly at the thought. An army of girls, she led into battle nine times out of ten. There were three outposts and she guarded the largest. The village was small and crumbling, full of disease and starvation. Their migration from southern Rhovanion to Mirkwood had ended in nearly half of the population dying out. She supposed trying to cross the Hithaegir to the Gap of Rohan and return to their village would be brutal on their already limited resources. Fending off Orc was one thing, but facing a war between Dol Guldur and Mordor, not to mention the Elves of Lórien to the west and Mirkwood to the north was just asking for certain death. Buffy was unwilling to kill off those she had been asked to protect, but the only alternative to passing over the mountains was taking the Gap of Rohan, passing rather closely to Lórien and Fangorn. The only other direction was between the two lands, and neither was too appealing.

She had spent years discovering the way out of this forest and back towards the land where many of those following her called home. She really didn't have a home, and this was the point that Siri had brought up at every chance, reminding Buffy she was an outsider lucky enough to be chosen to lead, but never really having the blood right she herself had.

As soon as Buffy had gotten them across the Gap or the Hithaegir, whichever came first, she planned on leaving Siri in charge of the broken villages of southern Rhovanion, since the migration to the east had ended in great tragedy for a young Prince and his family. His last surviving family was Siri, and Buffy was pretty certain Siri would finally have the strength to take the throne offered to her once she was returned to the tiny Kingdom.

What Buffy didn't know was that the once-independent lands of Enedwaith were no longer free and had fallen to the influences of the Wizard Saruman. And for all she knew, Siri had fallen in the ambush just a day before.

She didn't know how she was going to get out of this. From what she had learned in all of her years in this land, the Nazgûl were the ultimate badasses. Cunning, dark and dead, they were the vital enemy. She had no idea what they would try to do with her. All of her hopes lied with the other two outposts of her people, but if no one had survived the massacre, what hope did she have of her people coming to help her? She would have given anything to hear Siri's ingratiating tone, despite the friction growing between them. It would be the last push of confidence she needed to make certain that Siri would retain her rightful position as a royal, and Buffy would finally be set free from a duty given to her twenty years before.

That is, if she survived what was to come…

- - - - -

"My Lord, we have brought to you a mighty gift," said one of the guards of the great tower at Dol Guldur. "We have brought you the Lady of Shadow."

"At last," said the raspy, dead voice. "A thorn in our path she has been. Bring her before me and I will show her the true meaning of darkness. There can only be one Shadow."

The guard smiling, his black teeth glinting in the dark light siphoning from the arches above their heads. "She will come, my Lord."

"Good," said the voice, holding up one hand as the guard pulled on the long, metallic glove. "If she will not join us, she will perish with the rest. Too long has she stood against us."

"Far too long, my Lord," said the guard, bowing his head before ducking away.

The eyes belonging to the figure smiled, but there was no warmth. The metallic gloves went to hold the ghostly crown upon his head. "There can only be one Lord… and I am he. There is only one Shadow. When she comes, she _will_ suffer me."

- - - -

_So ends the second part of the rather dark part of 'I Capture the Sun'. I actually created a sketch of what I thought Dol Guldur looks like. I thought it would look like a tree-covered area with a large hill and on top of the hill, this dark gate and matching tower, with an archway with relics and runes from the Black tongue. It was quite entertaining, since I normally have no talent for drawing, but this was one place I brought out of my imagination, since most details on the Black stronghold are sketchy at best._

_In the next part, Buffy will come face-to-face with the Witch King of Angmar, better known as the Servant of Sauron or the Lord of the Shadow or even the Leader of the Nine. The Elves will also press southeast towards the stronghold once signs point the woman was brought alive to the fortress of Dol Guldur. This part will (hopefully) be posted before I leave for my Thanksgiving holiday next Tuesday._

_As for the location of the Amazon camp, I believe I centered it to the northeast of Dol Guldur on the borders of the Vales. This pay, they have an outpost. The village was never securely placed, because it has moved so often. From what the first part was able to say, the village and the protection surrounding it have moved from one end of Mirkwood to the other._

_Hithaegir is another term used for the Misty Mountains. I figured that she would know the Elvish name after living in a land considered to be an Elvish realm for twenty two years. If you follow the path from the south of Mirkwood between_ _Lórien and Fangorn, you get to Dunland and south is Enedwaith. If you have any of the geography questions, I would be most pleased to point you in the general direction of the maps used for this fiction. _

_Reviews are most welcome, since this is the first fiction I have written (not co-written and certainly not revised) in the time past. I think you can tell how much I can analyze a book but my dealings with television shows are meager at best!_


	3. Part III

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: If there ever was a reason for a PG-13, it would be this chapter. And that would be the light side of things. It is a rather dark chapter, so forgive me. I, for one, enjoy writing torture. It is the perfect blend of any drama, and since drama is my middle name (which is actually Kay), here it is.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years.

**Gratitudes**: Once again, I owe many thanks to the reviews left for this story.

**Part Summary**: The Elves of Mirkwood search for a shadow while Buffy takes on the evil at Dol Guldur.

- - - -

**Part III**

- - - -

The task of tracking a young woman taken captive by the Orc was daunting, but the Mirkwood elves were up to the task. Since the days when darkness had spread throughout their wood, they had wanted an alliance with the people in the Shadow. They lived in the southern branches of the forest along the Anduin valley. The people of this particular tribe were descendants of the Dunlanders, who had separated from the original group once the land they had once occupied had been bestowed to Eorl and later named Rohan.

One of the three Princes had led his guards and his people from the villages from Rohan to Rhovanion. They had prospered there for nearly an entire generation before the corruption from Mordor and the evils from the southern half of Mirkwood started to wane away what could have been a beautiful settlement.

From the east had come the Dark Elves, those who had been enslaved and corrupted by Sauron. They had completely destroyed the settlement and had killed nearly half of the population before the rest had gotten away. It was then that the Mirkwood Elves had heard of this Lady of the Shadow. She had emerged from the survivors of a broken clan and had taken them into the forest, seeking protection. They had found it with their newest leader. The Lady of the Shadow was most evasive, building several outposts around their village and making certain that those protecting the village were well-armed and well-trained. Despite the spread of dark creatures and evil through the forest, there was once a small section that still sparkled under the light.

Legolas knew it was because of her. She was just an apparition to them, hardly seen but well known by many. Even the Dwarves from Erebor had heard of her, but none spoke her name, for few knew it. She was a leader of the small band of people remaining from a great settlement twenty years before, and she had completely transformed a once nomadic people into a battle-ready, war-hardened clan of fighters. Not just men, but she had an entire army of women fighting at her side.

His father, Thranduil, had insisted that Legolas escort this Lady of the Shadow up to the northern edge of the forest, for he much wanted to speak with her. While men were distrusted this far north despite the wide trade between the Elves and Dwarves, Thranduil saw the woman as an asset to the darkness spreading over his own lands. She had seen more of the forest than his own knights and he planned to use this knowledge to rid the forest of evil once and for all. At least, this was how Legolas presently saw his father's thoughts.

Legolas knew better. While his own guards had been traveling with him, others had gone southwards towards the village and had met their timely torture and eventual release at the hands of a stunted, fair-haired maiden who spoke like chipped ice and whose hazel eyes were set to mesmerize all who set eyes upon her. The people, he had been told, regarded her as royalty, and to this Legolas held the highest regards, for he was a Prince. She fought only with a large group of women who were rather skilled at a wide variety of weapons and were rather strong from being descendants of a nomadic tribe.

The rest of the history of this tribe was unknown to the Elves from the north, except for the knowledge the true leader traveled with this Lady. Legolas had met her, he decided, when he had laid eyes upon Siri. She had been deemed as cold and ruthless as her leader, but with her was a darkness, twisting vengeance and agony. He believed Siri to have something hidden deep within the bowels of her mind, but didn't pause to dwell on them. He had been sent to find this Lady and he was going to do his father's bidding.

Their horses rode southeast towards the dark fortress, looming in the hills over their heads. Already storm clouds were gathering and thunder rumbled in the distance. The ground before them had been widely trampled, as only Orcs could move.

What he saw among the dead, twisted branches and leaves surprised even him. Gently dismounting his horse, he bent to the ground and touched a few of the leaves from the small plants squashed into the earth. "Not idly do the leaves fall," he said quietly, his fingers touching the bright red stain set upon the leaves. It was blood that would belong to a man.

"She may still be alive," one of his knights said, riding up beside his Prince, who gazed ahead, his eyes sharp and direct, searching for any signs of trouble.

"If she is, she does not fare well," Legolas replied, rising to his feet and staring into the darkness. "She has been wounded at best, and at worst they have taken her carcass to the fortress. We must press ahead!"

"My Lord," said the knight, giving his head a long bow, "what if the Orc return? We hardly number ten. To press further without support would ensure us a quick death."

"We must press on," Legolas said, feeling the urgency of his words as though his father were standing beside him, speaking into his ear. "I believe she is still alive, but in peril. We must come to her aid."

As they rode onwards towards the south, Legolas kept his eyes on the ground, where an alarming amount of blood had been shed. If she was alive, she was quite injured. He only hoped, for her sake and for all of theirs, they would reach the dark fortress in time. The people to the north of Dol Guldur were counting on them to rescue their revered leader. And Thranduil was counting on his son to bring back a worthy adversary for information.

- - -

Rain lashed the small curtain of rock above her head as Buffy rolled onto her back, staring bleakly at the sky raining upon her. She opened her dry, bloody mouth and let a few of the raindrops caress her cracked, swollen lips.

She had been tied to one of the posts by the ankles with what felt like an iron ball. It had to weigh at least a hundred pounds, but if that wasn't bad enough, her wrists were still chained above her head to an opposite post, as though she were strung up between stone posts. Lightning flashed high above her head and she turned her face as the rain started coming down harder, following by hailstones the size of golf balls. She curled up to protect herself, her body wincing in protest at her sudden movements. It hurt far too much to move, which meant that while she had been unconscious a few hours before, they had done something to her.

What remained of her clothes had been torn away. They had been replaced by what looked more like an old potato sack and felt nearly as comfortable as it scratched and tore at her once soft skin. The hail hurt has it collided with her body, no matter how hard she tried to protect herself. It was hard to curl, with her ankles and wrists bound and hanging above her. Rolling onto her stomach, she felt the impact of the weather pounding her body relentlessly into the ground.

She refused to cry out. She refused to break. Even as she heard the sounds of the Black tongue being spoken at her mockingly, along with miscellaneous items accompanying the unremitting beating. Her nails dug into her palm and she felt the blood trickling with the rain down her arms.

She was forced to endure this for nearly an hour before the weather seemed to finally sense she had taken enough and the storm began to cease in intensity. Lifting her sopping head, her eyes saw her bloody hands tied above her and she moved one wrist, and then the other. She knew that her enemies had taken shelter from the storm, wanting to see her suffer under the intense deluge instead of allowing her the same comforts. Relaxing both wrists as they cracked in pain, she glanced down at her ankles. If she could free her wrists, then she could certainly get out of the bindings on her feet.

She gave her left wrist cuff an almighty wrench and her shoulder cried in protest. She finally cried out as she yanked again, her bruised, bloody shoulder nearly giving away as Buffy collapsed back onto the muddy ground, exhausted and nauseous. She was so dizzy she feared passing out from the pain. She realized then that she had lost a lot of blood and it began to scare her. She had already been dead twice. This was supposedly Heaven, except that it seemed to be testing her body. Apparently there were worse things than death.

Her captors seemed to realize that she had survived the onslaught from Mother Nature and returned, jeering and mocking. Two of them lifted her in the air as two others unlocked her restraints. She didn't dare run however, as more than three dozen more were surrounding her, swords outstretched and bows set with arrows ready to fire.

"Hi, guys," she said in her subdued voice as her feet finally hit the ground again. Her quivering knees almost gave way and she stumbled forward. The Orc made no attempt to steady her as she fell to her knees, coughing. A thin stream of blood poured onto the ground as she fought the urge to fall completely to the ground.

"You are lucky you are sought," one of the Orc said, grabbing a fistful of her fair hair and yanking her back to her feet, placing his knife at her throat. "He wishes you unspoiled and clean. Take her away, boys!"

He pushed her down the stairs of the dais into the arms of the many Orc who gave howling, mocking chuckles that made her eyes narrow. As they dragged her bodily into the shelter, she was forced to endure even more torture. They first ripped the sack from her body using their knives, leaving her naked before them. In the light from the many torches on the walls, she could finally see the extent of her injuries as they forced her into a pond of rancid-smelling water. Buffy cried out as they started scraping the mud and blood off of her skin, leaving her tender flesh rubbed raw and red and her wounds which had closed began to open under the unrelenting force of their clay scrubs.

They then dunked her head under water for so long she feared she would drown again. As they yanked her out again, she gasped a few breaths as they poured what smelled like fresh cement on her head before pushing it under. After being scrubbed red and raw, they pulled her out, dried her off with the same sack that had protected her from the storm outside, and then pushed her into another room. They appeared to be in what was a temple and in the long, dual reflecting pools, she saw how terrible she looked, even though she was naked.

She could barely walk she was so tired. She wanted desperately to sleep, but she knew that something even worse would happen. She instead waited until something hard was tugged over her head. As the Orc pushed her from body to body, she soon found herself wearing a long black cloak with some beautiful silver etchings. Her hair had been pulled tightly from her face and wound into a tight bun. Finally, two Orc came forward and cuffed her wrists again before leading her through a tunnel of marble and back outdoors to a beautiful hill glowing above.

She was led by her escorts to the top of the hill, walking many steps. Halfway up, she collapsed from dehydration and exhaustion but was forced to go on at knife-point. Apparently, their leader would wait for no one.

She saw a shadowed figure waiting for them inside what looked like a large stone gazebo, which turned white as the lightning flashed in the distance.

There were figures around the open space, all of them carrying a torch or holding a sword. Buffy lifted her bruised chin defiantly as the Orc presented her to the cloaked figure before them.

"The Lady of the Shadow, my Lord," said the lead Orc as he pushed the woman forward, removing her bindings and nearly taking her wrists with him.

The figure turned and Buffy saw something she wasn't expecting. Her eyes widened as a heavily-armored hand reached up and pulled off a long black hood. Underneath was a ghostly white face of a skeleton, with a silver crown burning like an apparition on top of his head.

She couldn't even open her mouth to scream.

"We meet at last," he said in a low, dead sounding voice that brought chills to her damaged flesh. "The Lady of the Shadow has met her Lord."

"That's right," she said coolly. "I am the Lady of the Shadow. And you're stupid."

His armored hand shot out so fast she couldn't even think of a defense for herself. He was nearly at her neck when his hand stopped. The skull smiled coldly. "It matters not. Your words are your own misgivings. You are your own poison."

"Yeah, well at least I'm still pretty," Buffy said proudly, taking a step closer. Why she had been fearing this encounter was beyond her now. Had she just lived through three hours in complete hell? This was beyond ridiculous. The time had come for more than just words. She was ready to trounce this guy into the next century. Or back to her version of Earth, whichever came first.

"You will make a fitting gift for the Dark one."

Buffy repeated his words mockingly, her arms folding. "Is that supposed to scare me? Because I'm not, you know, scared."

"To accept the power being offered is to accept a new life," the figure replied, turning away from her again.

"You know, after spending a day with your big bad uglies, I just can't figure out why the hell you'd want to see me for. I mean, look at me… I'm human. I'm filth. I'm cannon fodder. I'm just basically… useless."

"There is no life within you," the figure said in the same voice. "You are thus a Shadow."

Buffy couldn't help it. She started laughing. The guards surrounding them leapt to the defense of the Lord of the nine, and she found herself nearly doubling over with laughter. "Oh, I needed that," she said with a sigh, clutching her side with her bloody, injured hands. "So you know I'm dead. Big surprise there. It's my second time."

"You will soon become one of us," the Lord replied, turning and giving her a cold, chilling smile. "Whether it by your will or not, you will become one of us."

"No, I'm really not looking to play hooky, Dad," Buffy said, crossing her arms again. "So I'll start looking like you. As long as I keep my hair, I'll be thrilled. I'm not some weak, pathetic ass who follows his Master like some love-sick puppy. So, dead boy, that is my final answer."

"You will not be able to leave from this fortress, this you know," the Lord said, giving her another one of his tantalizingly cold smiles. "Those who have come will be thwarted. Elves, the trees say. How little they know of the darkness you hold. I have captured the sun, but in her heart lay a soul of cold."

"Bite me," Buffy said, tilting her head. "See, here's the thing: I'm the thing the darkness fears. I'm the reason why my land has laid empty of your freaks for so long. And I'm going to be the one watching you die when someone really, really strong kicks your stupid ass for even thinking you have some power here!"

His hand reached out and from the darkness he drew his sword. Her eyes widened when she saw the spiked edges. The guards were now completely surrounding them.

"I will make your passing clearer, Lady of the Shadow," he snapped, holding it out ceremoniously before him before whipping it to his side. "There is nothing to hold you to this world."

"You're wrong," she snapped, clearly fed up with everything. First there was Siri and her reckless impulses. Next there was the attack and her capture. The torture had been bad. Being dressed and treated priceless by Orc was even worse. But facing something she could actually fight and to not fight back was stupid. As his sword flashed through the sky, it caught the last trace of lightning to the north. As it fell, it fell on a pair of slim hands reaching out to brace herself.

"I'm the one who gets pissed when everything else goes away," she snapped, throwing the sword back and kicking out at it. Watching as the figure screeched a truly hideous screech; the others surrounding her came in for the kill.

She was ready. Injured, bruised and battered she was, but she was ready to take on any who would dare attempt to try and kill her again. Her body protested, yet her senses worked perfectly as she fought off the first few attackers before the Lord of the Nazgûl turned back to her, his sword at his side. "You fool," he said, his voice a low, menacing hiss.

"Me, fool. You, moron. I got it," she replied, dropping the Orc she had just finished strangling before lifting his sword and twirling it in her hands. "So, where's your darkness now?"

- - -

The women from the outermost defense reached the village after only a few hours' journey. When the host brought Siri forward, the healers in the camp quickly made a space for her, while Mauve came forward to explain what had happened to the few that remained in the Council.

All were alarmed at the suddenness of the attack. There had been a reason behind it, and since only one person had been taken, it was feared they were after their leader.

"Why would they come after her?" one of the elders asked in a fearful tone.

"It's because she leads us," Mauve replied angrily, dropping Buffy's sword on the ground in the middle of the hasty circle of town elders. "Too long has she protected us from all evil. Too long has she stood alone leading us while Siri chooses to waste her life away by watching our Lady give hers for us."

"We cannot leave her to her doom," said another elder, bowing his wrinkled, old head.

"The Elves have gone to rescue her," Mauve replied angrily, folding her arms.

This brought about sounds of disbelief and uncertainty. "Is this wise?" the man asked, astounded. "We all know of the history between our people and the Elves. It is folly to trust that they may actually want her alive."

"I think they would have killed us all if they wanted us dead," Mauve said bitterly. "This was a plan conceived by Siri. She believes that if Buffy were to go before King Thranduil, she would finally get revenge for the death of her father."

Many gasped. One of the younger women stepped forward, her dark eyes flashing angrily. "She is willing to use our leader for her own selfish act of vengeance?" she demanded, her arms crossed. "Siri is acting irrationally. She may be the one whose father led our people, but I, too, am of his kin. I may be young but I am not going to stand by and watch our Queen fall before the Elves, if the Orc have not murdered her first."

"She is right," the elderly woman replied, glancing at the child fondly. "She speaks the truth of what really has come to pass, Mauve."

"I do not wish to go against Siri's wishes," Mauve said briskly. "In our Lady's absence, she is our leader."

"She will never lead us," the girl snapped again. "Buffy is our leader. I am not going to stand here and watch you turn your backs to her and condemn her a torturous death in Dol Guldur!"

"Is that where they have taken her?" the elderly man asked.

"It is likely that the Orcs took her to their stronghold," Mauve replied, bowing her head slightly.

"What of the other defenses?" the girl asked. "Can more be spared to rescue her?"

"Rescue her?" Mauve gasped. "Are you mental? We are in no condition to form a rescue party, especially after we just lost over half of the outer defenses."

"You may be her lieutenant," the girl said, stepping up so that she was nose-to-nose with the taller girl. "But I happen to be someone she has trained personally these past few years, since I could walk. I am not about to abandon her. I will take my own group."

"You are naught but a child," the elderly woman gasped, reaching out to touch the child's face, but the girl twisted back, her face a menacing snarl.

"You are all traitors," she said, glancing from one face to the next. "You have betrayed her and leave her to the mercy of the Elves? They may not be the ones that attacked our people and killed our Prince, but I will be damned before the pointy-ears take another of our leaders." Bending down, she pulled Buffy's sword into her hand and held it into the light, turning so that each face could rest their eyes upon it. "This was a gift of my cousin's to my Princess before he died. She is going to wield it once more and she is going to strike down all of her foes, as she has done for us since the beginning. All of you would rather see her rot with the Elves or the Orc. I will not bow to my cousin's foolish vengeance."

Turning, she pushed her way through the group and into the small cabin where Siri's wounds were being bandaged carefully.

"Traitor," she said, pushing a healer aside as she dropped the sword-tip onto Siri's lap. Siri turned her dark, bruised face to look at her cousin. "You would have her dead and your father's crown in your claws. I loathe you, cousin. I loathe what you have become. You bring evil with you, and by your will or not, my Leader is going to die. I was far too young to stand up before, but now I am old enough to carry my cousin's ways. You are never going to see the light of day again, because if our Lady does not return home, I will claim her crown. She deserves more than wretched vengeance-seeking hounds. There are Orc for such things." Pulling the sword brutally away, she saw the look on Siri's face harden.

"You think you are wise, Daire, but you have no knowledge. I have followed her from the beginning."

"You betrayed her!" the younger woman shouted. "Your guards were to look after the outer defenses, which were broken once the Orc came, were they not? Had you been doing your task instead of pressuring others to succumb to your power, she would never have been taken. You only wish her dead to take her seat in power. You would love nothing more than to see the Orcs destroyed and the Elvish kingdom crumble under your iron fist. But it will not happen today. If I am to find her, I wish her return to cleave your head and wear it upon her spear as a symbol that she remains to be in power over you."

"You are a fool, cousin," Siri retorted, turning her eyes to the low ceiling stretching above her head. "You follow her on faith, yet you know nothing of leading. She had led us."

"She raised you," Daire replied gently. "Does that mean nothing anymore?"

"When the last of our enemies is driven from these woods and I return home to my forefathers and family I have left behind, I will respect her for what she has done. Until that day comes, I am going to fight for what is my own. My mother may have chosen her, but I will not bow to an outlander to carry us home."

"Home is a fictional myth leagues farther than we have ever gone!" Daire exclaimed. "You speak of what could be. I speak of what is. I am certain you will not forgive me for what I am to do, but it must be done."

"Do not…" Siri said, glancing at her. "You cannot do what you want, Daire. She would not want you to throw your life away."

"As opposed to you sending the Elves to her rescue?" Daire asked coldly. "It was a mere reckless choice, Siri, was it not? Did you have her best interests in your heart when you set the Elves to rescue her? What did you think would come of it? That she would survive the encounter? That she would betray us? Or do you honestly think she would betray them?"

"You know not what you speak of, cousin," Siri snapped, turning away.

"These elves did not kill your father," Daire said softly. "You know this. Why do you carry such hatred? The weight must be unbearable. You may not know, but I have foreseen this. I have seen your death, your end in battle. You will die as bitter as the frost settling on the treetops come spring. You will not breathe the free air. You will not see another summer passing. To hold onto that power would be a raft for you in such a stormy path, would it not, cousin? No… I am going to find her and I am going to bring her home. She deserves nothing less than our full loyalty; even yours, Siri."

Siri would not look at her. She kept her eyes averted to the opposite wall. "Be safe cousin. I could not bear to lose another member of my family."

Daire sheathed Buffy's sword in her own belt, devoid of her own sword. "If I should return, think better of me, Siri."

"I shall," Siri said, her voice muffled by the wall she kept staring at.

Daire let out a long breath and departed the house of healing before returning to stand before the other women, storm clouds gathering over her head. "I am not going to abandon our Lady to the mercy of the elves," she said in a low voice. "To those of you who still carry loyalty for our leader, come with me. We do not have a lot of time."

- - -

It was nearing midnight when Buffy was finally forced to release her sword and give up, once again giving up her freedom to the mercy of the Orcs.

"Weak, pathetic, vulnerable, all of these you carry," the dark shadow said mockingly. "Yet you are no man."

"I'm a woman," Buffy said proudly. "In case that means anything."

The figure turned back to her in one swift movement and opened up his skull-like mouth, emitting a loud, piercing shriek into the night. It was answered by several others. Buffy felt her breath catch in her throat as she followed the gaze of the Lord of the Nazgûl and looked up. Dark figures were moving against the dark grey sky and she felt suddenly frozen. The screeches were carried far into the darkness of the night.

The Elves currently approaching felt it as they found themselves suddenly surrounded by an enemy they knew was lying in wait for them.

Daire and Mauve were leading the entire force of Amazons into the woods and they all glanced up, soaked from the deluge that had set upon them and hearing the frenzied cries of the elves as they fought off their aggressors, Mauve made the motion to leap into battle to rescue the same beings that had been sent to rescue their leader. They hastened to intercept the Orcs before the elves were wiped away.

Buffy lowered her gaze and settled it on the darkening face looming before her. It smiled chillingly. "By morning, you will pass into this night and all that you have brought to this world will be swept away."

Making a motion with his hands, she was grabbed from behind and a whip crackled through the air, wrapping around her bruised wrist, forcing her to drop the sword. Other Orcs surrounded her, pushing her brutally from one body to the next.

"This isn't over," she said slowly, glancing as the figure raised his hood and darted away from the precipice. "Do you hear me? This isn't over!"

- - - -

In the next chapter, Buffy comes face-to-face with her rescuers and her faithful guards meet their own match in the greatest fight of their lives. Our resident Slayer and our immortal Elf will also meet, finally.

This section has hopefully answered some of the questions you have asked. To answer a few more… Siri's unwillingness and her defection have been coming, since she has learned that her father was a ruler and her mother died leaving Buffy, a strong woman who helped rescue others, in charge of the entire village. Even though Buffy raised her, she sees Buffy as a figure standing in the way for what is rightfully hers. The next few parts will touch on the past, including the scene where Siri's mother died. We will also learn more about Daire. Siri is not a bad person. There is a reason why she is defecting now, and it was touched on in this chapter, and will be seen soon. Thranduil wasn't completely honest with his son either about his true intentions with meeting this Lady of Shadow. It may have something to do with the fact the Lord of the Shadow has returned to Dol Guldur and has sought out the Mirkwoods' Lady. These Amazons are more of a creation of my own (well, technically, they were created for the jungle world in a different story but I have chosen to use them here as well). I am not really familiar with Greek Amazons, if you wish to explain to me what they are. To answer the question as to why Siri is defecting now, the reason will soon present itself, I believe, in the next part or the one past that.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving for those of you who celebrate the old American style (and for those of you who have already celebrated this holiday, a belated Happy Thanksgiving to you!). I will hopefully post the next part early next week when I return home. I am aiming for Tuesdays, since they are turning out to be a relatively easy day. Just five more weeks until graduation and I can _hardly _wait!


	4. Part IV

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: If there ever was a reason for a PG-13, it would be this chapter. And that would be the light side of things. It is a rather dark chapter, so forgive me. I, for one, enjoy writing torture. It is the perfect blend of any drama, and since drama is my middle name (which is actually Kay), here it is.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years.

**Gratitudes**: I owe you guys a lot of thanks for the reviews for this story. The number doesn't matter; it's all about the quality. I know I posted this about two weeks after I originally wanted to. I apologize for that. Things have been more than chaotic lately, not to mention I have actually been writing for the guild I belong to instead of revising this. I do not intend to do another update before Christmas since I have both of my finals next week, so I shall see you week thereafter!

**Part Summary**: Buffy is in for the biggest fight of her life, while her rescuers face their own odds. Buckle on down, we're in for more action.

**Alyson's Definition of an Amazon:** I just had to add this, since some of you did define this for me. About three years ago, I was involved (as an editor) on a writing project that had this species of women that lived in an underwater city. They were extremely well-versed in the world, were wicked strong and were quite intelligent. They existed as warriors for an ancient race of normal people, but they were the fighters and guards of the people they served. I sort of adopted that theme into this story. Buffy's amazons are the protectors of the people she belongs to. She created them because of Siri's destiny (to be described later) and because, by then, she'd had enough of male posturing.

- - - -

**Part IV**

- - - -

The silence was far too great within the woods. The wind was light and foreboding, speaking of the unimaginable dangers that awaited all who approached the great fortress of the Necromancer, a hill and pit at the end of a long journey.

The silence stretched to the black guard of the fortress, standing with their hands upon their morning stars, glaring out as the storm passed overhead. They could sense the powers of light approaching and they knew that the woman in their grasp was the reason why. The thought that this woman would draw their enemies to their gates brought them great satisfaction and they gave their grand army the signal to move out. Their orders were to leave none alive.

In the great pits of Dol Guldur was a pit of stone surrounded by a ring of fire. A great rod hung overhead and the Slayer was bound by her ankles, only semi-conscious, her hands brushing the tops of the white-hot rocks. Water rolled from her in large droplets as her breath became more labored. She knew that if she lost total consciousness, she was as good as a walking shadow. They had strung her up, cutting her skin in small, narrow cuts before hoisting her upside down, leaving her there to eventually die or pass into the Shadow. By morning, there would be a tenth.

She forced her eyes open as the blood ran down her arms in small rivulets, fueling the fires below. She knew she was powerless and left to the mercy of whichever power guarded this planet. She had to pray that someone would take care of her or that someone would hear her cry before the time became too late and Buffy died. If she passed into Shadow, she was as good as their worst enemy. She was already a Lady of Shadow, but to become one figuratively and literally meant facing something she wasn't sure she was ready for.

Buffy Summers had never been evil. Lady Buffy, or Queen Buffy, or Saint Buffy… whatever those people had called her… she didn't deserve all that. She worked her destiny into her new life. It was as simple as that.

Her body ached after the whippings and cuttings and the piercing. She could still feel the places where the iron bolts had been driven into her skin. She hadn't cried out. She hadn't shown weakness. She was determined to be strong until the very end.

And it looked as though her end would come that night.

She closed her eyes and swallowed, but felt her stomach churn. She could taste blood in her mouth, along with bile. She was also getting cold, despite the fact the fires were burning so close to her. Every time she opened her mouth, she would let out a piercing cry. It was the cry of one of _them_.

Someone had to save her, she thought desperately, wiggling in an attempt to gage how strong her bindings were. She felt the cold metal bite into her bare ankles and gave up, letting her arms dangle below her head. She had to reserve her strength, or she was going to die that much faster. Of all of the options given to her, death was not one of them. She was either going to live to be tortured or she would turn into an evil nasty like one of the nine.

If she had her way though, she would be dead before that happened…

- - - -

By the time that Daire and Mauve reached the edge of the wood, they heard the sounds of a vicious fight within the clearing ahead. Mauve quickly gave the signal for the others to hold back as she lifted her bow from her shoulder and steadied the quiver against her thigh, her eyes peering intently through the brambles. Daire remained behind, but Mauve's other women stole forward, ducking to see through the branches.

"This is what she would call one hopeless situation," the woman whose head was below Mauve's elbow murmured.

"She has never seen a situation as hopeless," Mauve replied, glancing at the large circle behind her. "All right, this is what we shall do."

She explained her plan quickly to her own guards before even turning to the ones under Daire's command. "We keep this in three groups," she said, getting down on one knee and pulling out her carving knife, gesturing to the different groups of women and instructing them to take their different positions. As the sounds of metal clanking grew louder around them, Mauve gave the order to move out. Her own guards moved to stand behind her, their hands pulling out their swords and drawing out their arrows.

With a single movement, Mauve sprang forward, her bowstring tightening as she released a single arrow, the shaft spinning flawlessly through the air before impaling itself in the helmet of a flanking Orc.

As one large group, the Amazons rushed into the wood to free the Elves that had once again managed to get themselves into a precarious situation.

- - - -

From his position at Dol Guldur, the chieftain smiled a cold, mirthless smile. This was what he had been waiting for. His eyes moved to the shrieking heard from the pits far below. The smile widened. If any were alive by the time they had reached his fortress, they would find their past leader and it would be their blood that would first whet her new existence.

- - - -

Legolas and the rest of his guards reached the edge of the wood before he paused, lifting his hand. His eyes were suddenly wary, as were the eyes of those in his encampment.

"There is movement," one of the Elves behind him breathed.

It was more than just movement. In their haste to get out of the thicket before the storm passed, they had completely thrown off the fact that the enemy had slowly been surrounding them. They seemed to be lying in wait for the Elves to press into the clearing waiting like a haven from the storm waning in the distance.

"We must go with caution," Legolas said softly, his piercing blue gaze finding the shadows in the woods beyond. "They will come upon us swiftly."

No sooner had the Elves gone into the clearing did the Orcs attack. The Elves had been ready for the ambush as they leapt from their horses, sending their faithful beasts from the clearing. Knives flashed in the peals of lightning in the distance as the groans and grunts of the attacking force were heard through the entire forest.

Legolas found himself using his knives, since the bow would be mostly useless in such a fight. As the Elves spread out to better face such foes, the Prince soon realized they were clearly outnumbered at least four to one. The Orcs didn't go for the kill, which was a surprise. Instead, they appeared to be pushing the Elves back towards the center, cornering them for a final slaughter.

It was then a single arrow flew from the darkness and took down one of the enemies. Legolas turned his head and at that moment, figures came launching out, as their aggressors had too been surrounded. The fight renewed, the Elves spread out.

Mauve's bow was particularly effective, picking off target after target as the bodies continued to collapse. Her entire line were now lined up on either side of the bushes, arrows piercing into the night, careful not to attack any of the Elves, despite their reservations for the clean, immortal species.

It was then Mauve noticed that the Orc were trying to flee back into the woods. Throwing her bow over her shoulder, she darted after dark creatures, the others following behind, while the Elves remained back, fighting off the few that remained.

There was a sudden gasp, a scream and a roar. A figure somersaulted over a small body before a single foot kicked out, sending the Orc spinning into the trees before another crowd of figures came into the clearing.

It was Daire. Mauve pulled out her knives as the rest of the Orcs found their numbers being cut down by a large number, fought by well-trained Amazons highly skilled in both the art of physical hand-to-hand combat and weaponry.

The only trouble was, there were more enemies coming, and from above them, a screeching cry.

"That is the last thing we need!" Daire cried out as she kicked one of the bodies aside, her eyes staring as a winged creature flew overhead. "Ringwraith."

"They are stalling our approach," Mauve said, drawing up beside her. "They are bottling us here for a reason."

"I imagine it would have to do with her," Daire said angrily.

"Whatever the reason, more are coming," Mauve said, pulling out her blunt blade, her eyes darkening at the sounds of many footfalls and grunts.

"We must go to her," Daire said, taking Mauve's wrist before the older woman could move forward. "She needs us. These Elves can take of themselves."

"You sound like your kin," Mauve said, ripping her hand away.

"If you will not go for her, I will," Daire said, and before Mauve could take her by the arm, the younger woman drifted away.

Mauve didn't have time to go after her. The Orcs burst through the forest and Mauve found herself launching forward, wishing she could throw away her morals as Daire was certainly able to.

But Daire didn't get very far. She had taken all of three steps before an Elvish hand struck out and took her arm, pulling her deeper into the shadow. Before she could utter a scream, a hand reached out to cup itself over her lips and her eyes widened as she met a piercing blue-eyed gaze. "You," she hissed, forcing his hand away. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Why have you come?" the voice asked, forcefully shaking her by the shoulders.

"You did not expect us to stand by and watch you kill our—"

"That is their reason," Legolas replied, dragging her backwards a few more feet. "I do not believe it is your own."

Daire tore herself from his grasp, her eyes infuriated. "You do not even know my name," she snapped.

Before he could reply, there was a shrill scream. Throwing the Elf back towards the woods, she darted forward before leaping into the air and grabbing the branch above her. Using inertia, she swung back and forward forcefully, kicking an Orc cleanly across the clearing before dropping onto the ground. Using one of her trained roundhouse kicks, she downed another Orc before managing a cartwheel that knocked her frame into a third figure.

Mauve and her line had found themselves surrounded by taller creatures that weren't willing to go away. They were faster than the other Orcs they had passed earlier. Mauve found herself face-to-face with just a single one of these, and upon her first assault, a gnarled hand came up and twisted the knife from her hand. Crying out, Mauve pressed her hand upwards and as the figure reeled backwards, its own blade swung out, barely missing her body. It took nearly all of her strength to twist out of his attacking arms until his grasp tightened around her throat.

It was a great blow to the creature's back that finally released Mauve from certain death. She dropped to the ground, lifting her gaze to see that an Elf had come to her rescue. Ignoring the outstretched hand, she sprang to her feet, reaching for her weapon in the darkness.

In the distance, a great horn rang out.

"Daire," Mauve muttered as she and the Elf pranced back into the clearing, past the bodies of the Orc and the larger figures of the half-trolls. There was the sound of clanking metal in the distance, along with great cries of pain and the grunts and hisses of the dying. "She was right," she countered, turning to the Elf. "They are bottling us here."

"They must have no intentions of letting any leave alive," the Elf agreed, glancing at the smaller woman who turned, holding her blade in her hand. Her mind raced to determine what Buffy would do in such a situation. She knew her Leader would fight to the death if it was necessary, but was it?

"We must scatter," she told the Elf. "Please, take your Prince and get out of here. You need to get to her. You need to get her out of there. We will give you the time you need and provide the diversion." Seeing the look on the fair face above her, she realized then she had lowered herself to plead with a creature she had been taught all of her life to hate. "I fear for the safety of our people if she does not hold out the night. Your people have the power to protect her. All I can offer is a chance for you to save the one person in this world both of our peoples need."

The Elf finally nodded and consented to her mild plea. "It shall be done."

She gave him a brief smile before turning and darting into the woods. It was only a moment before the Elf heard the sound of more metal beating.

In the distance, the great Orc army had finally arrived, beating upon their drums, their own trumpets sounding in the wood.

The Elf turned and found his Prince on the edge of the wood, his bow in hand, his eyes dark with realization.

Legolas listened as his kinsman explained the plan to him. After a fierce nod, Legolas gave the sign for the Elves to withdraw from the fight. From what he had heard, these women had fought through worse.

- - - -

It was only when she felt a cold hiss of breath pass through her lungs did Buffy realize that she was passing. It was well past the middle of the night and, from what little of the sky she could see, dawn would soon approach. Her skin was cold to the touch despite the fact the flames were practically brushing her skin. Every sound she uttered was a cry into the darkness, one that pierced into the hearts of the Elves on their way to rescue her and the Amazons who had just given their lives for the Elves to complete their rescue plan.

Breathing was becoming considerably more difficult now. Every breath was a sharp gasp that sounded like nails running down a chalkboard. Her skin was becoming cold and hard, and she noticed that her arms were becoming more translucent.

If she ever needed a miracle, it would have been at that moment.

In the distance, the Witch King stood atop his domain, staring at the sounds of death in the distance before smiling, his eye-sockets glittering in his opalescent face. He knew that they were far too late. The changes were already occurring. The one that had been considered a needle in his side was about to stand by his side and with Sauron, a mighty triumvirate of power would reign from Mordor.

Sauron had foreseen her destiny, a Lady of Shadow appearing in the darkness of the night. She would later pass on to become a Nazgûl, just like him. She had great power and with her heart, a great destiny set before her. It was one that had been manipulated by the forces of darkness from the first day of her arrival.

At last, they were to gain the one ally that would make them unstoppable. At last, they would have domain over the ends of the earth. The ridiculous war from the First Age would count as nothing. With the triumvirate of power, Melkor would finally be able to ascend, and all of Arda would fall to darkness. Sauron was but a single lieutenant to the throne. The Lady of Shadow was about to become its queen. Melkor had never spoken of the Valar before now, but his return would bring a great many things into the world.

A sharp, piercing cry erupted from her. He smiled his thin smile. It would only be too soon.

- - - -

"Daire!" Mauve cried, pushing away a dead Orc before turning to cut down another. "Daire!"

Siri was going to hurt her if anything happened to her cousin.

She found Daire surrounded by carcasses, fighting valiantly with one sword, the bodies of the dead women scattered around her, all bloodied and lifeless. Mauve led the charge back into the woods just as Daire turned to see who had been calling her.

It was then a great metallic blade came down and bit into her arm. With a cry, she spun around to kick the figure away, but not before glancing down at her mortal wound. She lifted pained, dazed eyes to Mauve who stood there, stunned. It took an eternity for the moment to pass. As Daire fell to her knees, Mauve sprang forward and took the attacker's sword in her bare hands, lifting the hilt and forcing it to collide with the face of the Orc bearing it. Then, pulling out her opposite knife, she drove it into his chest before tossing his body aside. She turned to see Daire holding her arm and whimpering.

Mauve got down to her knees and held Daire's arm to inspect it. "Daire," she said softly, turning to the younger woman. "I need you to listen to me. It is very important that you—"

"No," Daire said, shaking her head. "No more orders. This is barely a scrape." And yet, as she tried to stand up, Mauve pushed her back down.

"I will restrain you if I must," Mauve said forcefully, grabbing the girl's chin and turning her determined eyes toward Mauve's own calculating gaze. "You are one of the last of the royal kin. Buffy believed you to be destined for something above battle and death and woe. She did not want this for you."

"I want this for myself," Daire said through clenched teeth. "Siri does not factor in my decision."

There was a shrill scream in the distance.

"While be bandy words, our people are dying, Daire. You must get back to the village. If Buffy is to live and find you have died, many of us will suffer her wrath. She has a way."

Daire finally lowered her eyes. "I will go," she said at last. "I worry for you, Mauve, and for…" Her voice died as she glanced at the bodies of the women she had known from battle legend as tears threatened her control. "I do not know if this is what I can accept."

"We have fought for many years in this way," Mauve said, helping the younger woman to her feet. "Take your guard and return to the village. You alone will have the power to say what has happened here."

Daire gave her a small smile and a nod before turning, walking away from the sounds of battle, fleeing for the north.

"Now let the night be dark for all of me," Mauve whispered, lifting her sword as she grasped the horn Daire had passed to her before blowing into it. "Let what will be, be."

- - - -

Daire hadn't run more than a dozen steps when she froze, her face cooling. She had taken this order because of her injury. Daire had great strength and had been hand-picked by the Lady herself. She was proud of her great skills and she had proven useful even when she'd been injured.

She knew returning to the battle with Mauve was pointless. To go to the aid of the Elves would be the perfect fitting end. She was one of the many in their legions that would die for their Lady.

She called what remained of her own guards around her and they charged back to the south, fighting off the fleeing hoards of Orc. The Elves were fighting the last rear guard of the army, defeating the undefeatable army and for the first time throwing a wrench into the plan of the Witch King.

Daire chose to remain behind and linger on the outside of the great fortress opened before them. There was a wide tower hall, long arches of black rock stretching over a pool of pure black water. From the tower was a great pit, deep into the earth. A bridge of twisted wood and metal connected the tower to the great mines before it, with huts housing the armies of Dol Guldur. The entire hill was surrounded by great black war towers, usually sat upon by the winged creatures that carried the Nazgûl rode upon in battle. They were now eerily silent, the guard pulled for the annihilation of the army approaching from the north.

What the Witch King began to realize was that he had underestimated his enemy. In his fury, he had gone and had the woman brought up from the pits. Her skin was scarred and burned and cold to the touch. He took her silent face and stared into her distant eyes. Her skin was nearly white from the effort, and yet he could feel her fighting his power. He struck her face once, twice, three times, each time a small breath would come. Her eyes wouldn't even blink anymore.

He wanted her to make the cry to discourage the guard from coming.

Her head snapped back and forth, but her body made no movement. It was then he began to realize she had the power to shut her life down and he shook her figure harshly, trying to force her to make a sound. When her lips finally opened, her eyes became lucid and she grinned a cold, bloody grin. "Bite me," she spat, before lifting her leg and weakly kicking him aside.

It was then the Elves charged the bridge, forcefully removing the guards as they rode up to the top where the Witch King was facing a woman lying upon the ground. Even at this distance, they could hear the great cry of the Nazgûl and the equally chilling sound of her one cry.

"It's never over!" she cried out, her voice a piercing shriek.

"You fight the darkness, Lady of the Shadow yet you have not realized what you have become." He was circling her now as she struggled to her feet, her body broken and defeated, but her resolve was steel and strong.

"I am no Shadow," she snarled, before lunging at him, and with strength he didn't know she could possess, she began to beat him back. The Orcs rushed forward to defend their leader just as the Elves arrived, their arrows piercing the night.

"Your time is ending," the Witch King spat, lifting his metallic-gloved hand towards her. "You have no time left. You will become the Shadow and that will be your greatest hour."

With one last gesture, his hood was ripped from his cloak and behold, it was but a ghostly face with a tall silver crown.

With a snarling shriek, the Witch King turned and leapt into the darkness just as Buffy felt the cold air sweep back into her lungs as her broken body collapsed from beneath her, defeated.

- - - -

Mauve found herself at her wit's end as she gathered the full strength that was left to her and prepared to charge the remainders of the once-great Orc army.

They had done rather well considering this was their first head-on fight.

Mauve was just about to make the call to charge when another horn blew in the night.

"That is no Orc horn," one of the guards murmured.

From the woods came great dark horses and with them were the great men from the north.

"Rangers," another guard gasped.

Mauve had to admit that their timing was that of the essential.

In the forest miles away, Daire was waiting for the Orc to flee before her knights cut down the guard retreating from the great fortress before the women pressed in on the city. Lifting her bow in her hand, she raced through the maze before they came to the bridge and crossed it.

They came upon a great circle of Elves surrounding a figure lying on the ground in the arms of an Elf.

"No!" Daire cried, pulling out her bow and feeling her guards do the same.

The fair beings turned with some level of surprise to see maybe two dozen women standing there holding well-crafted white bows, all of their arrows aimed for the figure holding their beloved Lady in his arms.

"Take your hands off of her," Daire said in a cold voice.

Yet Legolas did not move away from the figure shivering in his arms.

"She passes into the darkness," he said, turning to glance at her. "She needs Elvish medicine."

He was ignoring the fact that he could be cut down at any time.

"Your hands…" Buffy whimpered, her eyes full of a deep, twisted light as she let out another shriek. "Your hands… are warm…"

Daire lowered her bow as she heard the hypnotic tone of her beloved leader. Giving the order for the others to do the same, Daire pushed aside many of the Elves to bend down beside her leader.

"What is becoming of her?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"She is passing into the Shadows," Legolas replied. He bent his eyes down to gaze at her beautiful face, so sad and full of torment as she struggled to hold on. "She will soon become a wraith like them."

"Is there anything you can do?" Daire asked. It was a great mark to ask the one race she had been taught to hate for assistance, especially when it was a tribe of this race that had destroyed her village, her family and her existence.

"It would be most helpful if—"

His words were cut off as an arrow came within an inch of his neck before clattering harmlessly on the black rock behind him before bouncing into the black pool.

"We must hurry," Legolas said, lifting the figure in his arms. He felt her struggle against him, but he would dare not release her. He still needed her for his Father and, in part, he needed to save her. Something so fair should not suffer the wrath of something so harsh and cold.

She opened her mouth and shrieked, her own Nazgûl-like cry piercing the darkness.

On the horizon, a faint sliver of gold began to appear.

And, as the host was leaving the city, Legolas holding the Lady before her, another host came from the west, led by the Rangers and the remnants of the great army of women.

For a long while, there was awkward silence.

They only started to move once the arrows flew towards their large, formidable target moments later.

But Buffy Summers had found her miracle.

- - - -

This part was technically longer, but I added it to the next (shorter) chapter. In the next part, Buffy receives her healing and begins to crave the light and touch of the one Elf that helped her return from darkness…

**Notes:** I do not recall reading about the geography of Dol Guldur, so I created my own. I drew a map too, as it would help with the descriptions. I only wish that in the films they had shown the battle of the Elves against Dol Guldur or else the Dwarves and other Men in Erebor.

Lastly, for those of you who have read 'But A Dream', by the request of the person it was written for, it has become a series. It has been quite a lot of fun to write, on top of my other assignments, and until I start publicly posting it, it will remain on the Guilds site. I just wanted to let you know that more parts to it existed.

I will thank you beforehand for the wonderful reviews I know I will receive. You are helping my transition into fanfiction to become much, much easier. Journey's End should be updated before the end of the weekend.

Have a great holiday season!


	5. Part V

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: PG-13.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years.

**Gratitudes**: I am going to try to answer the reviewer's questions in this little section. Zayra: The Amazons do live in Mirkwood Forest, north of Dol Guldur but south of where the Elves live. And since they have a tendency to move about a lot, they have an idea of all the dangers the forest has provided and thus will prove to be of great use to the Elves and Men of the wood. This chapter will answer the question of where Buffy will remain. Arrowhead-water: They actually have their first conversation in this section. It was not the equivalent of 'hitting it off', but at least they have made first contact. Oz-bat: Would you believe my _mother_ was the one to tell me about the newest book release date? She called me as I was getting ready to travel back to Minnesota with the news that it was being released on July 16. TonyDiMerasbedroomslave: I can't even begin to comment on all of the ideas your handle has given me. I only wish I had time for _Days of Our Lives_.

Alas, questions? Comments? I would be happy to answer a little bit of everything at this point. I have done enough writing these past few days to ensure that this story is nearly complete (it only needs to be divided into sections and parts, which is a small problem and often requires more writing). As this is part five, I do believe there will be between fifteen and twenty in the final count, or maybe more if my Muse visits me again. I will update my other stories before returning to WI.

**Part Summary**: Buffy's salvation comes in the form of the two groups that her people trust the least: the Elves and the Rangers. Mauve must make a decision that will affect her Leader and her people for many days to come… one that could potentially lead to war.

- - - -

**Part V**

- - - -

The Elves had reached the edge of the great black gates when the group led by Mauve halted their progress back to the north. Legolas gently set the barely breathing figure in his arms upon the ground before lifting his even gaze to face into the cold emerald eyes of the lieutenant standing before him, bow in hand. Her women's weapons were down, but their gaze was hostile and their movements predatory as they took in the scene unfolding before their very eyes.

But more to her surprise was the appearance of an injured Daire, standing behind the Elf and moving into the small peal of light remaining from the fires flaming around them. Her bow was in her hand, yet her face wore no guilt at disobeying Mauve's order.

"She needs Elven medicine," Legolas told Mauve, gesturing to the figure at his feet, stirring lightly. "She passes into Shadow as we speak."

"She is the Lady of the Shadow," Mauve said, her voice belying her cold will. In her own mindset, she was concerned about the presence of their great fighter, lying broken and defeated at the mercy of the very creatures she hadn't trusted one bit in the least. To see her unconscious, barely breathing and bruised almost beyond recognition was startling. "She will go back to her people."

"Do you not understand?" one of the Elves demanded. "She needs medicine or she will become a Wraith, like the ones that have passed. She will cease to be your Lady. She will cease to exist in her own rights. She will be neither living nor dead. She will not remember her people from her enemy, all allegiance will be forgotten and by her manner she will seek to destroy all in her path."

There was a soft whimpering noise at Legolas' feet and he bent down to touch her face, still quite cold to the touch.

"Then perhaps it would please you to know that we have found some visitors on our own accord," Mauve said, stepping aside as the Rangers stole forward. Daire gasped from behind the Elves, an arrow flying into her hand so quickly it appeared as though it had been teleported there by sheer will.

Legolas brightened considerably when he saw the tall, broad-shouldered men in their greenish cloaks clasped at the shoulder. They all wore surly expressions, but as one stepped forward, his expression changed when he noticed the figure lying on the ground, unconscious. Whenever she opened her mouth, she would emit a piercing cry, making all about her cringe, even the Elves that took much to surprise them.

"This is Strider," Legolas said, nodding at the figure as the Elves parted to allow him passage to the body at his feet. Bending down, the Elf met the man who had taken her hand and was holding it.

"She passes quickly, but she fights it still. With what strength, I do not know," the man told the Elf softly. "I do not know if I can help her."

"You must try," Mauve said coldly.

"I will do all I can, but it is Elvish medicine she needs," the man called Strider retorted, a bite to his tone. "And do not counsel me in the least, lady."

"If I did not counsel you, you would abandon her to eternal torment as a Nazgûl. If she turns to one, I will make certain you are her first victim," Mauve said, turning back to the other women who were gathered near the others, staring almost curiously at the scene unfolding beneath them. It seemed ridiculous somehow and most certainly ironic. Buffy had led the women for years to fight off the Rangers. She had led them to fight off the Elves. The Orcs were their most lethal enemy and fighting them was an almost everyday tradition. To see two of their worst enemies help save the woman who had spent most of her life defending her people against them was most beguiling.

Buffy's eyes fluttered open to see the most perfect azure gaze above hers. She tried to speak, but no words would form. It felt as though air was being sucked from her lungs, forcing her to inhale sharply, the cry of the Nazgûl ringing clearly in her ears. But no matter how many times she uttered this sound, the two by her side would not give up. She felt as though something strong were forcing her to fight and she felt her powers return clearly. She may have been dead before her arrival in this Middle-earth but now she truly felt alive. She blinked as the stars above her seemed to smile upon her. As the men and the Elf continued to work their magic, she found that she was better able to breathe. Her voice was starting to work again, but her mind was far too exhausted to form words. The shock of the injury to her body was returning to her and she felt considerable pain even as she felt a warm hand close over her own.

They didn't move her once. They kept her in her place, working fervently through the night under the watchful eye of a handful of Rangers, a gathering of Elves and a rather large band of Amazon women who watched their leader succumb to the medicines performed by her two worst enemies.

By the time the sky began to brighten, she was in excruciating pain. Most of the sense of reality was beginning to return to her as the poison was worked away from her system, a combination of sheer Slayer force and the combined efforts of Elvish medicine performed by the Ranger and the Elf. She could feel her breathing labor as her cracked and potentially broken ribs began to ache. Her fingers, dislocated from twisting and tortured use, began to ache and swell. Her open wounds began to close after long hours of bleeding freely, a gift from her Slayer powers. Even as her body began to heal after fighting for so long not to pass into Shadow, it was difficult to see beyond the moment.

Mauve stayed in the exact same place all night, her bow barely grazing the ground, her eyes locked on the figures surrounding her lady. If only Siri could see them, she thought. The Rangers and the Elves would be dead, and their Lady would be picking them off one by one as she would have most certainly become a true Lady of Shadow without this aid. The Rangers and the rest of the Elves had dwindled on, but the Amazons formed a protective circle and posted guards in case the evil from Dol Guldur returned.

"I have seen many things in my time," Strider said, as he gently lifted her tunic to examine a series of deep welts, the result of hours of whipping. "Her skin heals as though it were never broken."

"She has many secrets, or so my Father says," Legolas replied. "Yet he believes she will prove useful."

Strider took the risk of glancing at the circle of women surrounding them, all with the same cold, irate expression. They were clearly not happy about the current arrangements and were standing vigil around their fallen leader.

He returned his eyes and gently moved the fold of fabric before gazing into her face. Underneath the bruising, the blood and the endless stream of emotions crossing her face, he could see her eyes. From what he could tell, the Orcs had tortured her senseless, almost ensuring that once she became a true Shadow she would unleash all holy hell upon whichever creature came to her first, whether it was Elf, man or neither. "My lady?" he asked softly, moving towards her so that she could see him.

Her watched her blood-caked, swollen lips move once or twice before she blinked. He watched as her bruised eyes opened again, this time showing their pain as tears trickled from the corner of her eyes, leaving trails of wetness in the deep grime lining her face.

"It… hurts…" she whispered, her lips barely moving.

"They tortured her," Legolas said, his voice full of deep disgust as he was examining what he could of her frame without having the arrows of a hundred Amazons fired at him. Even as his hands passed over her more sensitive regions, he could sense the women behind him arming their arrows with low hisses of disgust and vehemence.

"Will she survive?" came Mauve's cutting voice as she approached the two, snapping from her reverie at last.

"The Shadow has evaded her for now," Strider replied, pulling his hand from her shoulder, which looked to have been cleaved raw in places, her skin a tattered mess of blood and fabric. "I have no doubt that it will try to equate her again."

"If it does, we will deal with the matter in our own way," Mauve said smoothly, fingering her gladius almost lovingly. "If you come near her again without our consent, you will have our entire people as your enemy and to our entire numbers, one with forces as few as yours could not survive these odds." She nodded at the figure lying on the ground. "Our Lady has trained us well. We would not dare to go against her wishes and even now she defies your orders, your regimes and your agendas."

"We understand that your numbers are vast," Strider said, turning to appeal to Mauve. "Your uses are many in this forest but can be used well elsewhere."

"We only live to serve our Lady," Mauve replied curtly. "She is the one that gives the orders."

Strider turned to glance at Daire, who was staring hard at him. "I understand that few members of the royal bloodline survived," he continued. "Is she one of them?"

"She is not," Daire replied as the guard standing next to her gave her a reproachful look, while the one standing on her opposite side made a discreet shushing noise. "She was chosen by our leader before her death, after her husband fell in a battle twenty two years previously. He found her to be a commendable warrior and promised to give her hand to our Lord once we returned to our land west of the Hithaeglin. He perished before he could fulfill his promise and since his wife has died, our Lady Buffy has carried their will to bring us home."

"There are many dangers in the forest," the guard on Daire's left said. "For our part, she has protected our people in her lonesome until she decided that many of us were worthy to fight."

"She believed in the power of a woman," the guard on Daire's right. "She trained us to fight, how to use weapons and how to use our instinct."

Strider turned back to the woman on the ground by his side and saw in her eyes the truth that these women spoke of. He could tell by the fierce expression on her face that she was fighting her great pain and, at the same time, was showing pride in these women for defending her actions.

But it was Mauve who spoke up next. "She does not come from the bloodline. It is unlikely she comes from our lands. Not many of us remember what it was called or how it existed, but for what I know, our people came to the forest searching for a better life and it was not given to them. Over half of our village was taken by the Elves." At this, she turned cold eyes to Legolas, a pale eyebrow arching almost questioningly. "We survived because she came to us. She is our leader, even if she does not come from our land."

Legolas glanced at the anger in Mauve's eyes before his eyes lowered to the figure and he touched her face again. Responding to the warmth from the touch, her head turned and his blue eyes met hers, a soft shade of green with a hint of gold in them. They were beautiful eyes, full of pride and yet a great sadness.

"Our ancestors came from Eriador in the days of old before they decided to cross the mountains," Mauve continued. "There are only two of the royal bloodline remaining, and one was nearly killed when the Orcs attacked our camp two days prior to remove her."

"She would have made a powerful ally for Sauron," Strider said, finally getting to his feet. Legolas bent down and slipped one arm beneath Buffy's neck and the other behind her knees before lifting her weak form into his arms. She let out a soft moan as her bloody arm came up to wrap itself around his neck, staining his greenish tunic and his golden hair crimson with her blood.

At this movement, the women stepped forward and over half of them were aiming their arrows towards the pair. "Do not touch her, you foul creature," one of the guards snapped, stepping up next to Mauve, her own bow and arrow set to fire. Mauve was still holding her bow by her side and hadn't made a single attempt to arm it. She was still staring rather thoughtfully at Strider, chewing on her lower lip. This was not the time for a lieutenant who served such a figure as their leader to grow soft.

"Mauve," the guard called Alwyn replied, glancing at her leader. "Will you give the order or shall we consider you to be one of them? They dare encroach upon our Lady!"

"What will you do with her?" Mauve asked the Ranger and the Elf, all but ignoring Alwyn's demands.

"She needs rest away from this forest, for if the Wraiths return, she will surely be taken by them again and this time they will not stop until she lies in Mordor," Strider replied.

"My Father, Thranduil, wishes to speak with her," Legolas said calmly, still holding her silent figure in his arms without giving the barest hint that her weight would hinder him. "He believes that her presence in this forest may best serve both of our kinds."

"You will find, Elf," Daire said through gritted teeth, "that not all of our kind would agree with that. You must understand that _I_ am one of the last remaining of the bloodline of Wulf. The other belongs to my cousin, the true heiress of our people who surrendered her rights as she was a child when her mother passed away. You have met her, and many call her Siri."

Legolas' gaze grew weary as he glanced at the figure in his arms before turning back to stare at Daire. "My father holds no ill will towards your people even after our battles of the past."

"Siri holds no love for your kind or for any other besides our own," Daire retorted. "We have survived long before us, and we will be damned before we allow other races to grace our numbers. Once our Lady is strong again, you will see how long her contempt has grown. She is the one who gave us our strength and to bear her away to the King of this blessed realm would only serve as a reminder to the fact that your race destroyed half of our people!"

For being one so young and still learning the craft of weaponry, she was rather gifted in politics, Mauve decided, glancing at the younger woman.

"Erae gave her the crown as a gift because she knew that Buffy was the one that the people could turn to in times of trouble," Daire replied, her voice lowering and becoming almost calm. "As you can more than likely tell, these times are not without their troubles. Many of our own have fought and died bravely, and still more come. If you believe you can take our village from her, you are sadly mistaken. We owe her much and for most of us, the price is paid with our lives. We will give our lives to defend our people, as she already nearly has. She may not be one of us but as far as we are concerned, she has always _been_ one of us."

Legolas attempted to move forward again and faced a hostile circle of women pressing upon the pair of them. The other Elves and the company of Rangers heard the sounds of the shouting and quickly intercepted, only to find themselves surrounded by the Amazon guards.

Even Mauve had armed herself, her arrow aimed straight at the brow of Legolas, her gaze distrustful. "You will not take her away from us. She belongs with her people."

"Am I not one of your own?" Strider asked, his tone impatient.

"That remains to be seen," Daire snapped. "We have never trusted your kind. It seems unlikely such allegiance would work now."

"I do not intend to use force," Strider continued, lifting his hands to soothe the woman's already jangled nerves. "But if King Thranduil requests an audience with your Lady, I suggest you give the King his counsel. He will not ask twice and it is likely he will in turn use force, for he knows how well it worked with the Wraiths."

Mauve lowered her bow a small fraction to look into the eyes of the Ranger. "Let me make this perfectly clear," she said calmly. "I do not trust you. I would not hesitate to kill you."

Daire's bow was completely lowered as she turned to Mauve, her face an expression of outrage. "You cannot be serious!" she gasped. "You would give our Lady willingly to our enemy?"

"It is as an errand of mercy," Mauve replied, "but just this once I believe the Elves can be trusted."

"You do know that the moment Siri discovers this decision your life is forfeit," Daire reminded her. "Not even I have the power to overrule her command, as she has stood at Buffy's side for many years."

"Of this I am certain," Mauve replied, lowering her bow completely. "We cannot hold back the evil that spreads rapidly, Daire, no matter how many we have in our ranks. We have only small outposts and our main was nearly destroyed and our Lady was taken, Siri herself was gravely injured. We cannot afford to turn back aid, no matter who it comes from. If King Thranduil can see an end to the open hostilities that has existed between our peoples for a hundred years, then I shall surely take the consequence of my life."

"You would sacrifice your life for this inane decision?" Alwyn gasped. "Have you no decency? When Siri discovers what you have done…"

"We shall ask our Lady to seek her decision," Mauve said firmly, her tone of voice clearly stating there was no room for negotiation. "Come." She walked forward, approaching the Elf, who was still gazing at the hundreds of arrows still trained on him and Strider. When she reached him, she glanced into the marred face of their Leader who turned to her.

Buffy had been only semi-conscious through the conversation, now fully well aware of how badly her body had been beaten these past few days. Even a dead woman could only survive so much torment before giving completely over to darkness. As Daire's voice defended her actions, she could sense that her lieutenant's heart was in the right spot. She turned her wary eyes to Mauve's and with the slightest motion, nodded her head. "Go," she whispered, her voice a breath of pain. "Get… get them out… of here… in case… the others return."

"I understand," Mauve said, reaching forward to place her hand on her Lady's shoulder. "If I do not see you again, know that my spirit goes with you to whatever end."

Turning, she gave the order for the rest of the Amazons to disperse. Many looked aggravated and others livid about this decision, yet followed it unquestioningly. Daire was the last to hold out, finally lowering her bow at Strider's gentle, "She will be returned to your people, but first we must see this done."

"I will hold you to your word, Ranger," she replied, finally lowering her arm and releasing her arrow into her opposite hand. "If you do not, my face will be the last thing you will ever see on this earth."

The three groups of people soon gathered into their own, although Strider had not yet left Legolas' side as he managed to put Buffy on his steed. She had blacked out again and as he moved her, he saw her ribs showing through the back of her tunic.

"You must hurry before she dies of fatigue," Strider said. "We will meet again, Legolas."

The Rangers left without another word to the stone-faced women who leered from the sidelines, far outnumbering the Rangers and the Elves. There were well over a hundred and with many guards posted, Legolas had a feeling that many more had arrived through the night. Yet all stood in line behind Mauve, all believing her death to be imminent upon her return to the stronghold of their people.

The Elves quietly mounted their horses and Legolas turned his steed to face Mauve one last time. "Garo lend vaer," he said quietly, wishing her a safe journey back to her land. She nodded, still stone-faced as the Elves turned and departed for the north and east, bringing with them their gravely injured leader.

Then, one by one, the other women turned to go. At last, Mauve stood there and, as an afterthought, cast her bow to the dark fortress before following the other women out.

- - - -

It was just past midday when Buffy woke again, feeling her face against something with long hair. She brushed her aching hand along the neck of the horse she was riding until she felt a strict figure behind her and froze. Just as she was to open her mouth and inquire what the hell she was doing on a horse, she heard a peal of Elvish song.

"I'm on a horse," she muttered to herself, taking a deep breath and immediately wincing as she felt the air go through her lungs. Her chest ached; the result of cracked and probable broken ribs. Her shoulder stung as the horse continued to move and she knew it was rather injured. Most of her welt and cuts were healing rapidly from her Slayer strength and even now as her senses returned to her, instead of feeling as though she were in the gravest danger, she felt as though she were in the safest of havens.

"Are you awake, my Lady?" a soft voice asked from behind her.

"I am," she said, not bothering with the pain to turn around and look at him. "I am in a small amount of discomfort though. Can we stop or are you in a particular hurry to get me to your Master?"

Legolas gave the order to stop and his small Elvish company came to a halt, allowing Buffy the chance to finally stand on wobbly legs before collapsing onto the ground. Not one of the Elves came forward to help as she struggled to her knees. It was almost ironic to see a powerful woman that many in the Mirkwood had feared as pained and frustrated as she was. When she finally got back to her feet, she wasn't in a very pleasant mood. She turned her glowering eyes to Legolas, recognizing his fair features almost immediately.

"So they have sent a Prince to the rescue," she sneered, finally relaxing her body against a tree, at least ensuring for the moment she would remain on both feet. "How thoughtless of your King to send you, for if I had my strength back, you'd be dead right now."

The women warriors hadn't been lying. This woman clearly had issues with these Elves and it was evident by her haughty, almost superior expression. "Okay, so we're going to try this from the top," she said, hating the fact that her voice was shaking. Her body wasn't ready for the fight yet, but she was swelling up as though she were. She could take on two dozen Elves, no problem. "What the hell do you think you're doing, taking me away from my people like that?"

"It would have been wrong had they been your people," Oroduín said calmly.

"They _are_ my people!" Buffy snapped, her eyes flashing as she turned to the Elf, a sneer spreading across her bruised, broken face. "I am a human being, am I not?"

"Thus are the Rangers," the Elf continued, his voice as calm as before. "Still you make war with them."

"I had no choice but to make war with them," she said, her voice a barely concealed snarl as she looked him in the eye. He got the message rather clearly that she wasn't afraid of him in the least, despite the fact she was outnumber twenty four to one. "The Rangers were picking off my warriors one by one. If you mess with one of mine, you mess with me." She turned her intense gaze back to Legolas. "I will give you about a minute to actually tell me why you thought kidnapping me is intelligent before I start with the ass kicking."

Legolas had no doubt in his mind that at full strength she could easily dispel and potentially kill all in his party. But in a weakened state fresh from torture and mayhem, he knew her strength was considerable and that she could cause a lot of damage before sheer fatigue caught up with her in the end.

And yet, he chose to answer her despite this fact. "My Father, the King of the—"

"That would be his reason to tell you why I needed to be hauled away," she said, fire in her eyes. "What is his _real_ reason?"

"He wishes for nothing but your allegiance," Legolas replied softly.

"He will not have it," Buffy snarled. "Do you think my people would allow me to become best friends with the King who, for all we know, destroyed our people? I don't think so."

"He needs your allegiance," Oroduín said gently.

"I don't care if he needed the Pope's last pardon," Buffy said, shaking her head vigorously. "Do you know how seriously dead you Elves will be if Siri decides she wants to attack? Would you really risk open war?"

"And what of the war we already fight?" Legolas asked.

This seemed to startle her back to her senses, her rant fading as she glanced at the Elf. "What war?" she asked, her voice forcefully tranquil. "What war do you fight, I ask? My women have been spilling blood against three fronts from three different wars. You know our numbers and know we have considerable strength. By taking me to your father, you have just condemned your people to death."

"I think not," another Elf said softly. Her sharp gaze turned to glower at him, yet he did not shrink back. "You have seen much of the forest of Mirkwood, as we understand it. There was once a time when the Elves lived in harmony in these trees…" For a moment, his voice turned wistful as he stared at the waving limbs above their heads. "That time has now passed and evil lurks from Dol Guldur. You have seen and fought against much of this evil and for this you are valuable to the war."

"What war?" she asked, speaking as though she would to a child.

"The war against Sauron, the great lieutenant of Melkor from the first age," Legolas replied automatically.

"Sauron actually exists?" Buffy asked archly. "Gee, didn't really think that one through. Let's see… his old Witch King just decided that I would be a powerful triplet to their cause because, oh, right… Sauron was back. When are you immortals ever going to get the idea that I actually do have a brain?"

They were looking at her as though they'd never seen her before. Legolas was looking at her through a different light. The fatigue was beginning to show. If he could get her back on his horse, they could reach the Elvish settlement in two days…

Buffy, on the other hand, was wishing she could find a weapon. She could feel them pressing in around her and it was clearly making her uncomfortable. She knew her best approach would be to bait them into thinking she was weak and then strike at the opportune moment. She sagged back against the tree, resting her head on the bark momentarily before turning her eyes back to Legolas. "Will I be able to return to my people?" she asked through a dramatically tired voice.

"If you wish to return after what my Father has to say, it is your will be it done," Legolas replied.

"Good," she said, giving him a rather cold look. "I'd hate to think I'm being held by the pointy-ears against my will for _nothing_. I just spent two-and-a-half days in the chamber of horrors and if I have to do it again, I'm afraid I'll go all pissy, turn into the damned Shadow and kill you all anyway."

They had no doubt in her mind that she wouldn't.

"We only ask that you keep an open mind, my Lady," Oroduín said, stepping forward. "We would not want to restrain—"

His words were cut off as Buffy, realizing her personal distance had been compromised, let out a snarl like a wounded and caged animal and leapt upon the taller Elf, sending them both tumbling to the ground. As he rolled away from her, she flipped back to her feet, teetering slightly as the force of the impact jarred her battered body. Legolas came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She easily released his hold and bodily pushed him away towards the other Elves before turning back to Oroduín, still standing there and staring at her.

Seeing the knife in the sheath on his waist, held by his armor, she sprang forward but instead of assaulting him, kicked his legs from underneath him. As he went to his knees, her hand swept across his chest, sweeping the knife cleaning from its holder before she pressed the cold, sharp blade to the Elf's neck and shouted, "Stop!"

The other Elves, who had gone to get their own weapons, halted. They were staring at her blankly except for Legolas, who actually placed his hand in the air. He gave the signal and the call to put their weapons down and the others complied, worried that she would actually carry through on her threat and take the life of Oroduín, a young Elf in the Prince's court.

"Now I think it's time we do this on my terms," she said, grasping the long silvery hair of the Elf, her gaze wooden. The Elves made no movement, remaining as still as the trees they stood beside. "If your King tries anything, I will decapitate him and deliver the head on a staff to my Commander, who would love nothing more than to see Thranduil's head on a pike. Are you with me so far?"

Again, there was no movement.

"Secondly, if one of you touch me in any threatening manner, I will promise you pain beyond comprehension, and that's above and beyond this," she said, indicating her injuries. "One of you had better start speaking up before I get cranky."

Legolas chose to be such a spokesman and came forward, his hands still upwards. "We will accept such a token of parley in accordance with your own rights," he said quietly.

"And here I thought you said I didn't have any because those weren't _my_ people," she replied sarcastically. "Do you accept this… er… parley?"

"We will accept this," Legolas said in a voice of forced calm.

"Okay," she said and with a small laugh released her hold on the Elf she was still threatening with his own dagger. "Sorry about that. You seem like a really nice Elf and all, but you're the one that invaded my personal space."

He didn't say anything as he slowly got to his feet, his gaze suspicious as she smiled at him before returning to dagger to him. "It's a nice knife," she said with a shrug. "I like them curvy."

He gave a small nod as he took his knife and sheathed it. She gave him a quiet smile before her own aggravated body caught up with her. She put a hand to her head as she fell to the side. Legolas, who was the one closest on that end, came forward and caught her as she fell, holding her above the ground as her hands went to his arms to steady herself.

"I'm just… feeling a little weak," she said, giving him a hesitant smile as her gaze met his. He rose, bringing her with him, his arms supporting her. He called for one of the Elves to bring water and one returned a moment later with a canteen, offering it to Legolas who took it.

After settling Buffy on the twisted trunk of a rather large tree, he took a bit of cloth from his robes and doused it with water before gently dabbing at the dirt and blood on her face. She didn't try and push him away, and he felt slightly guilty knowing that the Orcs had pushed her to her limits. And yet, as he looked in her eyes, he could feel her resilience.

"How bad do I look?" she asked, her voice still rather cool. "Am I… oh…" He had just pulled back the blood-stained cloth and felt her face, still damp. "I guess that answers my question, huh?"

"Your injuries are recovering," he said, tipping her face towards his to clean the other side. "You are not as gravely ill as you were."

"That's a relief," Buffy said, watching as he pulled back to rinse off his cloth. Oroduín, despite the fact she'd just tried to mutilate him, came forward and offered her drinking water. She took it gratefully. "Thank you," she said, giving him a slightly guilty smile.

"Hold out your hands," Legolas said, as Buffy turned back to him. As she put out her hands, she recoiled when she saw her fingers. She remembered the pain of them twisting her fingers back to the point where she would cry out, but she never broke once, despite the agony as her joints were bent from location. Sometime during the night, her fingers had been put back into place and now, her knuckles slightly swollen, they welcomed the cool water.

He touched her hand and she let out a tiny breath. He knew her hands had been gravely injured. It had been two of his fellow guards who had gone to restore her joints, and watching her recoil from him now was almost painful knowing the hell she had endured just to arrive at this point in time.

He took her hand in his and ever so gently started scrubbing at the dirt and grime caked on her pale skin. She was watching him pensively, her intense eyes boring into his forehead. He was easily one of the most beautiful creatures she had ever laid her eyes on, and she had seen a great many in this world. Certainly she had never married because she didn't believe in it. While the idea of an arranged marriage at the beginning held its merits, she wouldn't capitulate to it in the end. She knew this. And perhaps this was one of the reasons why.

He gazed up at her then and, caught staring, she turned a slight shade of pink, hidden underneath the deep welts and cuts that still marred her pretty face.

She felt his hand slide over hers and her breath caught in her throat. Not wanting to be caught off guard again, she looked down.

Legolas was having different thoughts. As his hand moved over hers, he could sense a great power within her. Her eyes held far too much strength for a woman. It was in this moment he could see her power as great as it was and as terrible as it could become. She had great determination in her, enough to quell even the stoutest hearts. With one glance, she could stop a war. Even with this strength and power he could feel her knowledge and her wisdom, gathered through her decades in this world. She was rather young looking for someone who had taken leadership twenty years before.

"Your hands are warm," she said softly and he turned his gaze to hers. She'd caught him staring, he realized as she pulled her hand back, cradling it. But before he could respond, his keen Elven ears picked up a distant horn.

"That _is_ an Orc horn," she said, getting to her feet, still cradling her hand.

"They have picked up our trail," one of the Elves said, quickly hurrying forward. "We must make haste. They will overcome us by morning if we do not hasten."

Legolas turned to the woman to hurry her forward and saw her standing there, her golden hair blowing about her face, her eyes intense as she stared at the woods before them. "I feel them," she said softly. "There are great numbers there and strength besides. He's right," she added, her tone becoming crisp and matter-of-fact. "We must get the hell out of here. They're probably still pissed they found their stronghold empty except for a dozen or so bodies lying about."

Glancing at Legolas, he nodded and gave the orders to move out. After helping her onto the back of his horse, he mounted his steed behind her. Buffy lowered her gaze, feeling a slight flush creep on her cheeks as she realized she was actually _touching_ this Elf. "You may rest," he breathed into her ear. "We must ride hard."

"Rest now, fight later, got it," she agreed, closing her eyes.

"Noro lim," Legolas whispered to his steed as she came about, tossing her magnificent head. Buffy held onto her mane for her dear life as the steed turned and took off after the others.

Her eyes veiled, she could feel their presence and knew in her heart they could sense hers. She was like a moth to the outdoors light. The Shadow hadn't been fully removed from her body. A part of remained, captured in her soul, and she could feel it drawing her deeper into a conflict she knew almost nothing about.

She had fought her fair share in this land. For twenty years and then some she had led them.

In all honesty, she had already given them all they needed to know.

- - - - -

In the next section, Buffy finally arrives in an Elvish city while Mauve finds her decision may forever change her life.

For those of you who appreciate battle scenes, there are some upcoming, I can assure you. It is rather fun to write scenes that don't exist instead of trying to reinvent the battle at Pelennor Fields over and over again.

Also, a very Happy New Year's to you all!


	6. Part VI

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: PG-13.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years.

**Gratitudes**: Once again, I will take the time to answer a few of the questions. Some of these actually did make me think, and considering that this story has been in my head for far too long, it would make perfect sense to clarify a few things. Besides, I received twelve reviews for this past chapter, and feel compelled to speak to my reviewers.

_Sabia_ – I was just in the perfect New Year's mood, I guess. I am glad you liked it.

_Anonymous_ – Buffy pairings are only my favorite kind because, until I started on "The Prince Inside", she was the only character I had ever written for. And there are _many_ within the Tolkien universe that can match her rather well for such a pairing, I will agree.

_Renna_ – I am quite afraid the attraction will take a bit longer. I do have something planned though, however it will be a little while before we can actually see something you might consider either "friendly" or "relationship-y".

_zayra_– Oh, I am not a professional author. I actually wish to teach literature, so I have spent a great deal of time engrossed in books throughout college, which was made easier when pregnant. My joy comes through sharing great literature; writing this has been a bonus in my life.

_Vampy__ the chosen one_ – it is so hard to have original characters that are both believable and enjoyed… I have worked rather hard on research and development for this story, and I do hope it pays off in the end.

_Ginger_ – oh, I intend to. :)

_FallenStar2_ – it really is as fun as it sounds to weave such characters together!

_BuffyandDracoLover_ – 'be careful what you wish for' is one of my favorite quotations in life and thus I will add it unto here.

_PrecariousPersonata__ – _My goodness, you left a long review. It actually did make a lot of sense. This story never really clarifies _if_ Buffy killed a living being. The only beings she has killed were Orcs or else the Dark Elves that threatened her people, but despite everything else, she still has not taken a human life. Siri on the other hand has and you can begin to see how this has changed her. The time will come when their people (I have not yet named them) will realize that the Rangers are kindred (because of the history of the villagers) and that the Elves can be worthwhile allies. However, it becomes a battle of wills once again. And there is an upcoming section about Buffy's arrival in Middle-earth and how it completely changed her, considering she came at a time when these people needed her strength and she was more than willing to share it once she realized she was not able to return. There is quite a bit more to say and if you want to know any of it, I would be more than happy to send an email explaining things. I have a large notebook loaded with notes about this story (plot-lines, name origins, battle plans, character development and historical references, for example) that I would be happy to share it if you still have concerns. I must also add that before this past week, I had only seen a few episodes in both Season 2 and Season 7. My "Buffy" knowledge is rather limited, but it made sense to add her into this story because she is a strong fighter and she has strong morals she attempts to uphold. I hope this satisfies your concerns but if it does not, I will be more than willing to explain more. Thank you for taking the time to write that review!

_Darknesssoonfollows__ – _I actually have no idea… honestly, these things just come from my head!

_Hedgehog – _I am glad it is original… I have not ready that many fictions, but I wished for mine to have a different twist. This story began as a plot kitty for another thing and somehow developed into this after much, much work.

_TonyDiMerasbedroomslave_ – Everyone has their show loyalties, I shall agree with that! What happens next is… more than likely more of what you have already seen.

**Part Summary**: Siri makes the choice of Mauve's last fate as the women rally behind their leader, still lost in the hands of the Elves. Meanwhile, Buffy prepares to go before the "King" of the Elves.

**Notes:** I just wanted to say two small things. 1) From watching "King Arthur" at my brother's girlfriend's house, in the director's cut, it says that Greek legend based Amazon warriors from Sarmatia, which was a kingdom from somewhere in southeastern Europe extended to northern Iraq. I learn something new everyday! 2) The names used in this piece are either Old English, Welsh or Gaelic in nature. Each name has a meaning, even the names I created (as combinations of other names). A lot of research went into this fiction, and the names were just a small piece of it. For example, Siri is a combination of both Sirius and Rian, and literally means: sparkling queen.

- - - -

**Part VI**

- - - -

The mood in the village was one of sullen anticipation. The thought that their leader had been taken by the dark forces they'd been fighting against was, needless to say, not settling well with the warriors who had been left behind. Because of the dangers of leaving Siri and the other children exposed, they had been moved to their treetop escape.

Thus, Siri had spent the past three days lying on a bed, lost between a fever and madness, whispering orders under her breath and dreaming of the days when her parents were still alive.

There were only three guards outside her doorway, and they were all to be spared as the others had been sent by the Council after Mauve's women had left.

Yet she felt safe enough, knowing that the forces of darkness were after the _real_ power within this forest. It brought Siri's thoughts back to when the woman had first arrived. She was barely a child, maybe eight years of age when Buffy had first come into their world. The story was that of legend. The woman had come from the sky, landing straight in the middle of the settlement. All had come to see her standing there, trying to catch her breath and asking questions that no one could understand.

They had sent for the guards which had come out, their swords blazing in the hot sunlight as they were tipped towards her. The woman had simply glanced at them, asking more questions about where she was and how she had arrived there in the first place. When the Prince had retreated from his safe haven to ask about her arrival, she had just stared at him. Slowly she had gotten to her feet. Legend had it that they had made an alliance that morning, but Siri knew better than to trust her father's words. She knew Buffy well enough to assume that she had been rather disoriented from her journey from wherever it was she had come from.

There were very few people she had confided in. Meira had been one of them before her death.

Buffy had a very different style of leadership than her father had, many of the elders had told Siri. She believed in giving members of different species their chance for peace before she would attack. In all of her years, Siri had never once seen Buffy strike down another like herself. Oh, she had certainly attacked them if they had attacked first. But if she could certainly help it she wouldn't let them take a life.

Siri remembered the days when Buffy would be taking her through the different areas of the forest, explaining how different species worked. In the beginning, it was observation. The dark creatures from Mordor was enemies from the beginning, as it was these Elves that had been tortured and mutilated which had nearly destroyed the village and killed their Prince in the first place. Orcs from the Misty Mountains became their enemies soon after when attacking the forest from the Anduin. It was certainly necessary for Dol Guldur to be considered dangerous when the winged creatures returned, fortifying the stronghold.

And yet there were Elves from the north, cold and sullen and withdrawn. They were not violent beings unless they were attacked and there had been moments when Siri had led her own guards including Mauve into battle when the Elves had fired first. Buffy had always given the cease fire along with a dire warning. Certainly, she would not kill them if she could absolutely help it.

The Rangers were another story. They had attacked, believing that the villagers were servants to the darkness growing at Dol Guldur. Siri had been the one to provoke such an attack and since then Buffy had been attempting a way to get the men through their part of the forest and plain without taking a single life. Her methods of persuasion were unorthodox but were certainly useful in the end.

This was perhaps the reason why Siri did not agree with Buffy's leadership. She had spent the past twenty years learning everything from the older woman. Her own mother had given Buffy her crown upon her death, saying there was no one else with the strength to bring her people home. And yet Buffy would hesitate to kill someone she had called 'belonging with a soul'. She was hesitant to kill their greatest enemies unless it was the Orcs.

There was the sound of movement outside the door and Siri propped herself up on her elbows, staring out the long doorway as Mauve came in, bowing her head respectively.

"Well?" Siri asked, a definite edge to her voice. "Did you find her?"

"Yes, Lady," Mauve said, lifting her head. Her eyes were fearful and her face was lined with doubt. "We found her, but…"

"Yes?" Siri prompted lightly.

"The Elves took her into their care to heal her of the great shadow," Mauve said calmly, as though steeling herself for Siri's reaction. "Legolas was among them and he spoke of his father wishing to see our Lady and they took her to speak with him."

"Is this true?" Siri asked, glancing at the figure standing behind Mauve. It was Alwyn, the Captain of Mauve's forces, who stepped beside her leader and nodded.

"She was rather taken by the darkness when we came upon her," Alwyn said in her cool, nurturing tone. "The Mirkwood Elves were adamant."

Siri sighed, dropping her head into her hands. She knew that Buffy would not hesitate to make peace with creatures that originally inhabited this forest. Buffy was rather level-headed when it came to the different species of Elves. There were the Elves controlled by Sauron and there were the Elves that followed the ways of the Valar. How she came to know this, no living man could tell. "Will she live?"

"She lives," Alwyn replied. Her eyes moved sideways to glance at Mauve before she continued. "It was in the best decision of this guard to allow her to pass with the Elves."

"You let her go?" Siri asked suspiciously, turning to stare haughtily at Mauve. "You, her first lieutenant, would abandon her to the Elves?"

"She said it herself before all of this began," Mauve replied. "She trusts in the goodness that still exists in this world. This was the reason why she would not allow your attack to commence and for this reason, she would not—"

"You are as delusional as she is!" Siri cried, leaping out of her bed, wincing in pain as she felt her broken body protest her movements. "I will not allow those _beings_ to take control of my people, of our people! You know what would happen if they were to take us into their protection! We would become one with them, and I, for one, still have the longing to return home!"

"We trust in her decisions," Alwyn said, defending her leader. "She will make the best decision for our people."

"She is not one of our people!" Siri cried, falling back upon her bed, her hand clutching her abdomen. "We must prepare ourselves for war if she brings back a delegation of Elves."

"She would not," Mauve said calmly.

"How do you know this?" Siri asked her coldly. "You just assume that she would be loyal to us, because she has been entrusted with our protection for far too long. I believe she knows that she would have more power with the Elves, our greatest enemies…"

"Those were not the Elves that killed your father!" Mauve said with frustration, banging her bow upon the ground. "Must you be so cynical!"

"Must you be so delusional?" Siri repeated harshly. "All Elves are an enemy of mine… this would not change. This will never change."

"They will change!" Mauve reprimanded. "If we had allies in this dreaded wood, we would stand a chance to cross the mountains! We have the opportunity to return home, Siri. You have to trust others."

"I trust none but myself," Siri said coolly. "I have seen that power can corrupt even the most strong of heart. I will not allow that—"

"You must listen at how you speak!" Alwyn defended.

"I did not ask for an interruption, Alwyn," Siri said, her voice deadpanned. There was a malicious light in her eyes as she surveyed both Buffy's great lieutenant and the captain of Mauve's forces, both wearing the same determined faces. "There must be the discussion of your… treason. Buffy is no longer present, which means the decision of your rankings would fall into my rather capable hands."

"Would you dare deny an order from a royal?" Daire asked, walking in uninvited. Her arms were crossed and her face bore a livid expression. Her arm was wrapped in a sling and she was wearing her fair share of cuts and bruises. "Leave us," she said to the lieutenant and the captain, who both nodded and bowed away. Turning back to Siri, she shook her head. "Why am I not surprised that you would bring down the leader that has protected you as a child?"

"My mother was the one that entrusted Buffy with our people's safety as I was too young to take the crown at the time," Siri replied.

"And yet my father was still alive, was he not?" Daire asked softly. "He was your mother's brother, was he not? He could have taken the throne but instead she entrusted it to an outsider with considerable power to protect us and indeed she has."

"I do not forget the past," Siri retorted. "I just remember that, in our greatest hour of need, she would not strike against those that would not hesitate to kill us!"

"That is why you disagree with her, is it not?" Daire said calmly, sitting down on the bench opposite of Siri's bed. She watched her cousin put her feet back up and slide back towards the headboard, her face wearing an expression of great pain. "She does not believe that all should die."

"You were only a baby when they brought her into the village so this you would not understand," Siri replied, her eyes lost in a story of the past. "My father would have killed her had she not done the noblest thing any would have asked... she saved my brother's life."

"This became her acceptance into our village?" Daire asked.

Siri nodded. "I recall that day rather clearly. I wonder if she recalls it at all. Nay… there has been far too much darkness in our time and our enemies are closing nearer. Now they have taken the one woman all of you all trust and it is in my hands to bring her back."

"You are not well," Daire said stoutly. "You cannot go back. She does not wish to start a war."

"If they have harmed her in any way, there will be war. How many hundreds of women has she trained in the past? How many does she train now, including yourself? The Elves will find that they will have a great war if they hurt her as the Orcs most certainly have done. They will not stand a chance against a fury against their greatest protector." Her face grew weary as she reached for a goblet of water sitting on a crude wooden table next to her bed. "Perhaps it would be best if she had been accompanied. I will send someone to go, and it will not be Mauve. It was in her decision to send our Lady alone with the Elves. No, I will lead a delegation to the north and perhaps this will not—"

"Do not start a war that will be our end," Daire said quietly.

"You do not trust me," Siri said, clearly delighted that Daire had caught on so quickly.

"I do not trust your intentions, Siri. You have a lot of hate within you and I would rather hate to see you fall to waste because of an inane decision to attack an Elvish city."

"I will not attack," Siri promised her. "But I will demand answers and learn once and for all if these are beings worth trusting."

At this, Daire left as Siri was exhausted and wished to sleep before she departed the next morning. She may not agree with Buffy's decisions in the least, but she was not about to leave her leader in a hostile environment. Something had just occurred to her, and it was something that Mauve had said… maybe, just maybe, the Elves would provide a way to ensure that their people would finally get the opportunity to return home.

- - - -

Buffy was still sleeping when the Elves crossed one of the smaller brooks leading into the Elvish lands. They had already passed two separate groups of guards, warning them that they were being hunted by the Orcs. The Elves immediately understood and promised to hold back the threat as long as they could, so that Thranduil could seek counsel with the one he had wanted to speak with for so long.

Since they had been riding all night into the following morning, Legolas allowed the horses to rest for a moment as he gently prodded the young woman before him awake. She blinked up at him with her cool hazel-eyed gaze before she realized where she was and it turned stone-cold. "Where are we?" she asked softly.

"We are within a full day's journey from the halls," Legolas said, gently helping her off the horse. As she tipped her face towards his, he noticed that nearly all of the cuts and scrapes had healed. Her bloody lips seemed to have mended and he noticed that she was moving easier than she had the first time he had taken her into his arms. She kept her hand on his elbow until she was settled on the ground. Turning, he posted a guard as she stared dully into the small fire they had started. "Are you well?"

"I feel better," she replied softly, still not looking at any of them.

"Do you require food or drink?" one of the Elves asked her, offering her a plate.

"Thank you," she said, taking the plate out of his hands and gazing hungrily at it. She hadn't eaten since she'd been force-fed all of that horrid, rotten food the Orcs had decided she needed. Even though this plate held little more than some odd-shaped cracker and a few lopsided vegetables, it was still appetizing. She set the plate on her knee and reached for the cracker and lifted it, gazing at Legolas questioningly. "In my time, I am used to red meat and…" Her voice trailed off as she bit off the corner of the cracker. "What is this?"

"Lembas bread," Legolas replied, watching as she swallowed it. Her gaze cleared and she gazed at the bread with a ravenous expression, nearly knocking her plate aside as she dove back into the bread. "It is a kind of Elvish way-bread."

"It's good," she mumbled, her mouth full as she swallowed heartily. One of the Elves offered her their canteen and she accepted it with a muffled "Thanks" before downing most of its contents. "I might have to ask for the recipe. It beats the red meat."

The Elves watched her eat in fascination, for many had not watched a human woman eat before. When she finished, she handed the plate back to the intrigued Elf and stood up, stretching. "What are we doing now?" she asked curiously.

"Resting," Legolas replied.

"I've slept enough this past day," Buffy replied moodily, glancing at the darkness around them. "Can't we just hustle into the city so I can get my part over with? By now, Siri will know everything and she'll insist on sending her own 'peace keepers' that'll end up getting everyone killed!"

Now that she was recovering from her serious injuries, she was much more formidable than she had been the night before. There was a sense of power that radiated around her, that truly defined her as a Queen or a Lady, whichever term her people used.

"The horses must rest," one of the other Elves replied.

"What about the army of Orcs following us?" Buffy asked. "I know you can sense them like I can. Can't you even see they're closing in on us?"

"We have posted guards and set patrols," Legolas replied. "No harm will come to you this evening. Sleep now, and you will speak to my father soon enough. After that is done, you will be able to return to your… home."

"Fair enough, I guess," Buffy replied, glancing around. "I just hope you don't expect me to sleep around you."

Turning, she disappeared into the woods. The trees above them seemed to sigh with the same resignation. Holding a woman of her power was the same as walking through a volcano set to erupt, far too dangerous to behold yet far too beautiful to escape from.

When she reached a lower branch, she pulled off the cloak the Elves had given her and threw it over the end before pulling herself upwards. Wrapping herself in the cloak, she rested against the bark, her eyes open, feeling wide awake instead of exhausted. After what seemed like hours, a gentle song began to fall around her as the pale, glimmering light from the west seemed to fade as the Elves spread out, each lost in their own thoughts.

But in her mind, she was already planning on how to evade a war. She had no time for the politics of Elves. She didn't even want to play nice nor have friends in these beings. She wanted to co-exist on the same level in the same forest, since it was obviously large enough for both of them. Siri wanted war. She wanted eradication. She wanted a great many things that Buffy wasn't willing to give her.

As dawn soon came, Buffy moved her eyes to the sky. From where she sat in her comfortable position, she could see the navy sky above her turning to shades of pink and orange. It was one of the few sunrises she'd been able to see from the trees and seeing it gave her a renewed sense of hope. Something good was going to come out of all of this. She let out a long slow breath, her fingers playing with the Elven cloak wrapped around her body.

She waited until she heard the sounds of movement in the distance before she climbed down from her perch. She felt well-rested, despite the fact she had not slept. She walked from the woods and said nothing to the Elves, who were gathering the things from their encampment. She calmly walked over and took up her empty canteen from the night before, turning it over in her hands. Not one drop of water spilled out. Sighing, she capped the canteen and walked over to the Elf who had given it to her and returned it to him.

They started riding soon after, the sunlight floating through the trees, casting odd shadows in the thicket. Buffy chose to ride behind Legolas this time, for her strength had much returned and she was strong enough to ride without resting. She kept her guard on high though, considering these people were a partial enemy. She kept her eyes wary as she looked past the shadows, trying to see an enemy she knew was following them.

The ride continued through most of the day. They did not stop once for rest, and when the shadows grew more numerous, more Elves joined them to their ride past the mountains and into the valley. In the distance, a song could be heard.

Buffy knew that this was the beginning of what the end could be.

- - - - -

Daire had just risen from her early meal when the sounds of swords clanking outside drew her attention. She stepped out from behind the curtain of her tent and moved to the edge of the balcony, glancing down at the ground forty feet below. Even at this distance, she could see figures moving and talking rapidly.

"Four hundred, you say?" Mauve was asking a group of five women, the easternmost guard, as they checked in for the morning after their nightly watch.

"What is it?" Daire asked, pulling on her cloak as she approached Mauve, who looked troubled in mind.

"The night guard from the east has reported a number of four hundred Orcs turning northeast," Mauve replied quietly, as not to disturb the other women passing by.

"They are after her," Daire whispered, her stomach clenching painfully. "They wish to make her into one of –"

"I know," Mauve replied. She looked rather uneasy. "I suppose I must be the one to inform Siri."

"I will do this," Daire replied, glancing at the small huts and tents lining the trees far above their heads. "You must ready the women."

Mauve nodded and moved to do her will. Daire turned and climbed back to the top of the trees and found Siri's tent. She was lying on her back, her eyes closed. One of the nurses was by her side, holding her hand. When Daire entered the tent, she stood and hastily walked out.

Daire chose the direct approach and stepped over to her cousin's bedside. "Siri," she said quietly. The woman shifted slightly before her eyes fluttered open.

"Daire?" she asked sleepily.

"Siri, four hundred Orcs have turned to pursue our Lady," Daire said earnestly.

The look in Siri's eyes changed as she turned away. "Our time has come," she said softly, a tear trickling silently down her cold, pale cheek. "You are too young to understand what is still at stake here."

"I am old enough to realize that this is more than petty vengeance, Siri," Daire said quietly. "Please say that you will allow us to pursue these beings."

"They will, but this is not our time," Siri finally said, sitting up as she turned back to face her cousin. "Mauve will stand down. She let our Lady fall into the hands of Thranduil, and this is punishable as treason."

"When will you finally decide, my cousin, between your conflicting thoughts? Your hatred for Thranduil would bring our Lady to his hand only to have her cleave his head. And yet you stand that Mauve has committed treason because she allowed our Lady to travel with the Elves?" Daire asked, sounding frustrated.

"When you are older, you will understand," Siri replied as she got slowly to her feet. "I will lead them myself. Mauve will remain behind to… think about what she has done."

With Daire's assistance, Siri managed to make it to the bottom. Most of their main force had been gathered, nearly five hundred strong. Many of them gave cries of welcome when they saw Siri walking amongst them again.

Although her arm remained in a sling and her face and neck were still bruised, Siri stood as erect as a pillar and her cool arrogance was almost misleading. Daire stood behind her cousin, waiting to catch her should she fall over.

"My lady," Mauve said, armed only with a bow as she got down on one knee before Siri and bowed her head. "I have gathered our forces."

"This much I see," Siri replied coolly. Then, coming at last to a painful decision, she continued on. "I have no need for your services, Mauve. You are a Lieutenant for a woman who no longer leads us. You will remain behind and watch over the other guards. I will take two hundred with me and if I shall send for more, I will ask for another captain to guide them." Her eyes were very cold as Mauve glanced up at her, still perched on the ground, her dark eyes stunned. "You will not have such warm reception when our people know what you have done. If she dies before she returns, the blame will rest solely on your neck. I, for one, would love to see that neck upon a pike next to the Woodland Kings'."

Mauve swallowed hard as she stumbled back to her feet, backing away as Siri charged forward. "Daire," she said quietly. Her cousin quickly rushed to catch up to her. "Will you ride with me?"

Daire blinked uncomprehendingly. Siri had never asked her to ride before and neither had Buffy. "Yes, my Lady, but I do not understand…"

Siri's face was wary as she smiled thinly at her cousin. "In time, when you are older, you will understand."

She turned to the other women, calling in a clear, loud tone, "Prepare the horses!"

All at once, the village was set in a flurry of activity. The one woman moving at a solemn stance was Mauve, who returned to her own tent in the sky, staring down as the women below moved to and fro. Horses were being gathered and marshaled in a fenced-in area below. She watched this quietly before moving away from the view. She had no interest in watching her women ride to war without her. She was older than many of them and she had tasted war long before Buffy had come into their lives.

She knew why Siri was angry with her, and in part Mauve did blame herself. She didn't think she deserved all of this blame, however.

A war cry sounded below as a single flute started to play and horns sounded. Lifting weary eyes, she caught sight of horses coming from the woods.

Below, two hundred women were gathered around Siri, who took her bow and her sword from her cousin. Daire then stood beside, smoothing her long gown. Both she and Siri were donned in garments from the elder days of their people, garments their mothers had both worn a generation before, 'ere war taken their lives from their daughters. The other women wore leather woven from the hides of cattle. They were the garments of the archers, and all of the women were pulling on quivers and taking their own bows, attaching their swords to their belts.

"We do not go for war," Siri said darkly, walking before them. "We do not go for vengeance. But if they give us a war, they shall have one! If they will not give us our lady, then none of us shall stop until the head of Thranduil is upon this." She took a pike from the ground and lifted it into the air. "My father long defended his lands with this pike, as he hung the last flag of our ancestry. Let us not forget our place in this world… we have but one and it is to return home."

Turning, the entire group of women rose and took a horse. Others prepared to go on foot. When all had been gathered, they turned northeast and disappeared into the woods.

- - - - -

Buffy was awakened by the sounds of singing. She opened her eyes and saw that there were Elves lining the path they were following, all of them singing the same song.

She turned her head, only to realize she was leaning on the back of the Elf. She pulled back, wiping her eyes as the horse came to a rest.

"I was hoping you would awaken before we reached the end," Legolas said, dismounting first and then helping her to dismount, catching her in his arms. She pushed away from him, but before she could tell him off for even daring to be chivalrous, two pairs of hands seized her and starting pulling her backwards.

With a cry, she turned, kicking one of the Elves backwards into a crowd of others. The other Elf was easily pushed back as she turned to Legolas with accusing eyes. "I thought I told you I would never be your prisoner!" she shouted, glancing around like a caged animal, ready to attack anything that dared to approach her.

"They only wish to help you," Legolas said as the rest of his guards dismounted and quickly surrounded the group. They were all staring at this human woman in disbelief, but there was no mistaking the livid look in her eyes. It was almost primal, this glance and as it met his, he could feel her power. There was a lot of it to feel.

"How do they want to help me, Legolas?" she asked in a deliberately slow voice. "Or can you not find a sufficient answer?"

"My Lady," Legolas replied. "They wish to dress you in more appropriate garments to meet with the King."

Buffy glanced down at her clothing, which were little more than guard clothes that had been rather torn and stained since she'd put them on. She finally stood straight and put her hands down at her sides. Perhaps this wouldn't be the worst time to actually pretend to act like a Lady of something.

She was first stripped of her clothing and then placed in a bath. An Elvish woman handed her a bar of soap and Buffy scrubbed every inch of her body until her skin was pink and raw. Once she had gotten out, they took her into a small room and dressed her in a simple shift. Then they brushed her hair until it was dry and gleaming.

Buffy felt as though she were being spoiled and pampered as they pinned her hair up and began rubbing a cream of some sort into her bruised areas. When they touched her ribcage, she hissed and moved away from them, not wanting them to exacerbate her pain anymore. She'd felt enough pain in the past few days to last her a year or two.

After her hair was done, they began adding more layers to her dress, choosing a soft shade of green. At last, they draped a rather large cloak around her shoulders and clasped it beneath her chin with a clasp shaped like a star. The midwives looked rather pleased with themselves as they surveyed the work they had done. Taking her into the small yard behind their talan, she finally was able to see what she looked like.

Buffy gasped when she saw herself. She looked beyond regal, she decided as she turned, the long train of her cloak following her movement.

"Does this not meet your approval?" one of the Elvish women asked.

"I look pretty," Buffy whispered, turning this way and that to admire her reflection. "But was all of this really necessary?"

"King Thranduil only accepts the best into his court," the second Elvish woman told her as she took Buffy's arm and tugged her away from the pond. "Come, the others await you."

As soon as Buffy reached the ground, she turned towards the large number of guards waiting to take her into Thranduil's court. She found her eyes traveling up until she met their cerulean gazes. Her eyes fell onto Legolas' at last. His gaze, usually intense and searching, had turned into one of surprise and, to her own astonishment, pride?

"Now perhaps do you resemble a lady," one of the guards said as they all bowed their heads to her.

Buffy, feeling taken aback, turned to thank the women who had transformed her from a torn-up, beat-up street urchin into a princess. She literally felt like a princess as she took another step forward. From a series of horses, a single stallion was brought forward, already dressed with her saddle.

"Your horse," Legolas said, gesturing unnecessarily towards the beast.

Buffy glanced at the horse and then down at her thirty pounds of garments. How in the world she was supposed to get on this horse, no one could wager a guess. Yet she was going to try it nonetheless. It took assistance from two guards before she was finally able to take the reins and ride forward.

The entire company moved towards Thranduil's castle in the distance.

"He has been informed of your arrival and wishes to speak with you at once," Legolas said in his intense voice.

"I'm thinking he's not one for small talk," Buffy replied.

"He is not," Legolas replied, glancing at her again.

"Don't do that," Buffy muttered, smoothing her long, pale green skirt. "You're making me uncomfortable and that tends to lead to blood and gore."

He didn't reply but moved his steady gaze forward.

They rode side-by-side into the great courtyard before dismounting. Buffy's dismount was rather entertaining for all of those watching her attempt to get off her horse without falling flat on her bottom, but she soon managed to move away from the beast.

Legolas was waiting under the arches for her. He reached for her hand as she took the steps and stared at it. "There is one thing you should know, Lady of the Shadow," Legolas said gently, lifting his extended hand to touch her chin and tip it upwards so her eyes met his. "You look down to no one."

She gave him a brilliant smile then as he pulled his hand away and disappeared inside. Resigning to this new fate, she followed him inside.

There were small groups whispering as she moved through the hall at the side of the Prince of Mirkwood. She kept her gaze level and strong, not wanting to appear weak in the eyes of these people. She wasn't weak. She had never _been_ weak.

At last they reached a great dais and atop the white steps was a King standing before his people, his arms outstretched. His eyes fell onto the young woman before him and for a moment he thought his eyes fooled. This was certainly not the Lady of Shadows, the elusive force that had disappeared from many of their tracking scouts. She was far too young and much too beautiful to be such a leader. And yet, as his eyes met hers, they carried as much intensity as the eyes of his son.

"Welcome to the land of the Mirkwood Elves, my friend," he said loudly and very clearly. "As I am certain you do not know our tongue, I shall speak to you in the tongues of the common men."

She nodded, her eyes never leaving his face. "You must be King Thranduil," she said firmly.

"That I am," the King said, delighted. "You have met my youngest son, Legolas Thranduilion."

"I have," Buffy replied, not looking at the Elf now wishing for a little acknowledgement from her. "He saved my life."

At this, the whisperings in the hall grew louder. Buffy kept her eyes to the King before she realized he was waiting for her to introduce herself.

"You must think I'm rude," she said, at last dropping her eyes before she pulled out her hand and offered it for him to shake. "I'm Buffy, the vampire Slayer."

- - - - -

In the next part, Buffy and Thranduil set the record straight while Siri comes upon a disturbing rumor of her own… one that may lead to a greater conflict and destroy the chances of the Amazons for ever getting "home".

For all of you wondering about Buffy's past, she will speak of it in the next few parts. There are "battle" parts coming soon, as well. For those of you wishing for a nice fast and easy relationship, you will more than likely be disappointed. I have been told I drop substantial hints, yet I never intend to do so. This piece is nearly half finished, for I went back to complete some re-writes of certain things that really did not fit well with the rest of the story.


	7. Part VII

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: PG-13.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years.

**Gratitudes**: I think I may make a habit of this, as I have seen other authors do this. If you find that this disrupts your own system, please let me know.

_Mama T – _Thank you so much.

_zayra__ – _Thank you… it means a lot to have readers like you!

_Darknesssoonfollows__ – _Something bad _is_ going to happen, and I shan't spoil anything. I will more than likely add some good "shippy-ness" in, considering that, to this point, there is not much. I could add a little in, though. It would just make things harder as the end comes, however. I cannot promise anything, but there will be some random shippy parts.

_Renna__ – _There is some rather heavy drama upcoming, so the romance will be a nice reprieve. It would also be a chance for Buffy to escape what I have come to call the Siri-migraine. Siri causes her own problems and she makes problems for others, but they are all deeply rooted in what she has endured before.

_PrecariousPersonata__­ – _Thank you, once again, for your longer review! I might just take you up on the offer of exchanging notes, but I daresay you would not find my battle plots and character diagrams of much interest, but I can send you my notes on the Buffy character, or as I know her, and how it fits in with this story. Siri's character is a lot more complicated than I think I realized. She has good qualities in leadership and she shows some poor choices. I feel that her character can only grow stronger without Buffy by her side. Her goal is to get her people home. But… her home is not exactly the home her ancestors left behind. There is a _really_ long story behind it, but it involves one of the high lords of Rohan and a battle with the King of Rohan that kills the King and the lord's sibling gathers his people and flees east. As for your last point, it is one of the things that she and Thranduil will discuss.

_Laurie – _Many, many thanks, my dear! In answering your question about Buffy's mortality, I will have to say that she is technically dead, yet alive. She is the flesh-and-blood personification of the Wraith. This is her "Heaven", so while she remains dead, her soul still has human form, regaining most of her memories, thoughts and personality. I hope this answers your question, and suffice it to say that I do not believe she would age much. She probably looks around twenty five, despite the fact she would be nearly forty five now.

_Jackie – _Why, thank you!

_FallenStar2 – _It is what I hope for.

_Sukera__ – _Thank you so much :)

_Jack_ – I cannot see Buffy trusting _any_ of the Elves enough to tell them about her entire past at this point. I would have to say that she will not become this little simpering Barbie doll and am really working hard to ensure that does not happen. There is more to this world for her than just the prospect of romance. The choices she makes she makes for her "people", which I still have to give a name to. Buffy as a "badass" you requested? I cannot promise hardcore behavior, but she certainly isn't going to be all warm and cuddles.

**Part Summary**: Buffy and Thranduil discuss the past, their present and their respective people's future. Siri, on the way to "rescue" her people's leader, comes across a disturbing rumor that could destroy every hope her people had of ever getting home…

**Notes:** Going through a few things, I realize now that not many know the setting of Buffy's life in which this takes place. This would take place following Season 5 canon, which would make it my second "Dead Buffy lands in Middle-earth and does not have a clue" fiction, but… there comes a twist in every story and I do plan on keeping to canon. Keep that in mind when you think about what may happen next. This story has grown beyond the fifteen sections I originally planned, and has nearly reached twenty parts. It is nearing completion and I am rather happy in how it has finally turned out. But I have yet to end it.

- - - -

**Part VII**

- - - -

There was still the sound of Elvish song drifting through the gardens as Buffy followed King Thranduil through the narrow passages between the trees. She kept her eyes on the taller figure as she followed him through the maze.

She was still resigned to the fact that she had been in the company of the King for maybe five minutes before he had decided they had a need to speak in private. He had dismissed all of his court and then his son, finally taking the young woman and asking her to speak with him in his private gardens.

When they reached a large fountain, he paused and turned, his arms slightly open. "Would you care for anything, Lady Buffy?" he asked kindly.

"No, I'm… good," she replied, forcing down a cough as she stood next to him, feeling inadequate and rather annoyed with her long drapes. She felt as though she were wearing curtains. She kept her gaze level and stared into his face as he motioned that they should both sit. She was relieved as she sat, her many layers floating around her, making her seem even heavier than she felt. She longed to take off her white cloak and pulled it tighter around frame, closing herself off to the King now silently gazing at her.

"We have much to discuss," he said in his soft, Elvish tone.

"Yeah, I would have to agree with you there," Buffy replied, turning to him.

"The future of both of our worlds is at great risk," Thranduil said.

"I agree we have much to do," Buffy replied.

"Before we discuss things such as alliances, I must first ask, what is a vampire slayer?"

Buffy grinned and looked down. "It's… nothing. Please, it's what I used to call myself before I even started out here. It's…"

"There have not been vampires in this world for many ages," Thranduil replied, cutting her off. "There are not many left in this world who can speak of them. Great beasts they were as they fell to the command of Sauron and Morgoth."

"These vampires were not from your world," Buffy replied. "I was just—"

"To be a Slayer of darkness so evil, you must possess great strength and power," Thranduil concluded, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed her critically.

Buffy's mouth snapped shut and she nodded. "Yes," she agreed. "I do have a lot of power. It was power given to me a long time ago."

"You have been using this power to create your own army and marshal it against the forces of darkness?" Thranduil asked.

"That pretty much sums it up," Buffy replied.

Thranduil rose and began pacing before her. She watched him, her hands on her knees, feeling slightly apprehensive. "Word has come to my ears that you have fought the forces of Mordor," he challenged quietly. "These forces that you fought… were they Elves?"

"Some were," Buffy admitted, averting her gaze. "They were the darkest Elves I have seen. They fought with a skill unmatched to this time."

He was challenging her, and she knew this. He wanted to know whether or not she would willingly take the life of one of his own, but she refused to budge unless he asked her straightaway if she had done so. She also knew that if she didn't speak up, she was going to lose the greatest opportunity of her life, and that was to gain a powerful ally in such a dark world. She knew that Siri would protest such things, but it would all be worth it, in the end.

"My lord," she said quietly, and he turned to meet her intense gaze, "if you ask me if I have gone to war with your people, I would say I have not. I know who my enemy is, and this is what I have taught to my people."

His gaze was shrewd as he scanned her face for any trace of deception, yet found none.

"I would trust that the reason you asked me here was beyond asking how many of your own I killed," she said sharply, drawing his attention back to the present moment. "If that is all you wanted, I should go."

"There is another matter to discuss," Thranduil said, adopting a snappish tone.

"I am not one of your people to command," Buffy said evenly. "I am a leader of my people as you are a leader of your own. Before we discuss things, just know this: no matter how much it benefits the Elves, I doubt it'll do anything for my own people. Our people have coexisted for a long time in this forest and it's about time we learn how to share…" She paused, looking down at her hands still on her knees. "We won't be here for much longer… my people have a longing to return to their land and I don't blame them."

"Nor would I," Thranduil said, sitting down again, looking rather thoughtful.

"What use do you have for a crowned lady who is just trying to get her people home?" she asked blearily.

"You have seen much of this forest," the King replied. "You have seen what darkness moves. You know now that the greatest threat to the stability of this world has returned and will not rest until what he seeks is found."

"The one Ring," Buffy said softly, recalling what the Orcs had told her. "He wants it to restore him to power. Has it been found?"

"He must not get the Ring, even if it were found, for it would destroy all of the free peoples, as it already threatens our own," Thranduil replied, clearly relieved she already knew of this threat. "An army you have and strength besides."

"Ah," Buffy said, nodding. She finally understood something, and it had taken that statement to get her thoughts to flow more smoothly. "You know that my so-called _army_ has been fighting off the enemy since I created it, right? We're already the mix. We don't need alliances for our battles, but we—"

He cut her off again. "Your people have the longing to return home and they should have that hope and dream. They are needed elsewhere and to assume you can return them home—"

She interrupted him this time. "Absolutely not," she said coldly. "If you think I'm going to tell these people who have been fighting _your_ battles and killing _your_ demons that they have to stay in this hellhole until you deem it time to return them home, no way in hell will I allow that. I will not be the one to tell them they have to die. Too many have died already. You can't ask me to do that. You can't order me to do that. You'll just have to accept that there are things in this world you have no control over and I'm one of them."

"Will you not listen to reason?" Thranduil asked, appealing for her humanity.

But she wouldn't budge. "If you want my help, you ask me. Leave my people out of this. They've already paid too high a price." Flashing before her eyes were scenes from the battles before; the Rangers of Mordor invading and nearly destroying her entire force, the Orcs invading and instead of killing her _army_, they chose to eat them alive… Closing her eyes, she stood up and turned to face the King of the Mirkwood Elves one last time. "I think I'm done with negotiations for today."

Spinning on her heel, she swept from the gardens, Thranduil ordering his attendants to find her lodging for the evening.

From the darkness, Thranduil spied his son walking slowly towards him, smiling slightly. "What have you to be so cheerful about?" the King asked angrily.

"She is as stubborn as you are," Legolas replied, the smile sliding from his face.

"I only wish she could see reason," Thranduil said, his voice rising.

"Perhaps you could use an alternative approach," Legolas replied. "You could offer her a choice."

"What use would that be?" Thranduil demanded.

"Her people come first in her eyes," Legolas answered. "She is devoted to her people and would rather see no harm come to them."

"What say you?" Thranduil asked, glancing at his son.

Legolas smiled plainly. "She has lived with years of animosity. To know that the King of the Elves wants nothing more than to see the death of her people is asking her too great a sacrifice. But to give her the choice of an alliance against the forces in this forest, she might consider this a price to way."

Thranduil paused as he thought his son's words over. "She does not belong with these people, this she has already claimed," he said slowly. "Perhaps we could ask her to remain behind and offer our assistance in allowing her people to escape across the Anduin."

"If both of our races fought together," Legolas prompted, "we would appeal that we care more for her people than to see them die. She would have no choice but for the allegiance."

"You may be right," Thranduil replied, rising. Turning, he called for his attendant to collect the young Slayer. "Tell her that the King of the Woodland Elves is requesting her presence to dine with him this evening."

The attendant nodded and hurried away.

"Be kind to her, Ada," Legolas said softly. "She will not listen to you if your temper is that of a warg."

"Then perhaps you will join us," Thranduil replied as he walked past his son. "It is you, my son, who knows much about her."

Legolas watched as his father disappeared before glancing up at the darkening sky. He would rather face an entire herd of wargs than face what was to come at dinner and to listen as his father argued with the Lady of Shadow.

Above, in her small room, Buffy sat on the bed, staring out at the trees swaying gently beyond the end of the small balcony adorning her tiny room. She stood and glanced at the heaps of garments she'd stripped from her body in her haste to make herself more comfortable. Reaching down her underclothes, she pulled out a silver cross. Long had it been a symbol of hope for her in these lands. Gently reaching around her neck to remove it, she held the necklace in her hands, a gift from Angel many years before. Holding it into the air, she watched how the flickers of firelight caught the silver and moved it into a prism of light around her. Even now, she wanted the strength and the hope that necklace had forever given to her. Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, she lowered the chain and turned slightly as a gentle voice called from the doorway, "My Lady?"

"Yes?" Buffy asked coolly.

"The King requests your presence at dinner," the Elf replied with a bow of his head.

"All right," Buffy replied. "I'll be there."

The attendant turned to leave. Setting the necklace aside, Buffy rose and walked through the archway onto the balcony, gazing in a full view around at the trees full of gentle song. It was supposed to be a sanctuary of peace and good tidings, but Buffy felt nothing but restless and anxious. She had a feeling that by now Siri knew where she had gone and was rather angry about it. She couldn't blame Siri. If their roles had been reversed, she would have been angry as well.

She went back inside and retrieved her cloak, clasping it about her throat. On an impulse she took her silver cross and replaced it back where it belonged, leaving it in full view over the star from her cloak. Smoothing her long garment, she smiled at her reflection in a flat, clay bowl of water. What a difference a pretty dress made, along with a regal hairstyle. She almost didn't recognize herself.

At that rather disturbing thought, she turned and disappeared out of the doorway.

- - - -

"What news from the north?" Siri asked as two guards approached, both of them looking rather harassed and exhausted. "Have you heard anything?"

"The Orcs have broken off pursuit," one of the guards replied breathlessly. "From what we could tell, they turned west as soon as they realized where our Lady had been taken. She is with the Elves in their safe haven now, guarded and well protected within the castle."

"I thought as much," Siri said, driving her hunting knife into the ground before rising. "Continue on watch, the both of you. I do not wish for an ambush to slow our approach now. We have a full day's ride ahead of us in the morning. Rest when you can. Now, go."

The two guards bowed and retreated with their horses back towards the north, crossing over the eastern forest walls into the East Bight.

"Three days and more do we have until we reach the Woodland realm," Siri said, retrieving her knife as she returned it to its sheath.

"We must take more speed," Daire said from across the fire, finishing her own plate before setting it aside. "We cannot falter now, even if an ambush were to take us."

"What other choice would you have me make?" Siri snapped. "I still bear injuries and thus do you. Three days until we cross into that realm and then we will understand what it is they have asked of her. We have many on foot, Daire. We cannot have more speed."

"You may not respect our lady as I do," Daire said sternly. "There are many here would travel day and night on their very hands and knees if they thought they could save her life. She means more to them than I can even explain and it is certainly beyond your comprehension, for you would see her betray a fellow ruling man to deliver his head on your pike. It is in foul-will that wishes for this, cousin and for this reason she would not see you rule."

Siri's eyes were livid as she glanced up to meet Daire's intense gaze. "You speak to me as though I have no respect for her."

"You have none," Daire countered. "You challenge her every order and overturn her every request. You respect her as you would your dog if you should have one. She wishes for peace with these beings and you would rather have war."

"I wish for nothing more than to return home," Siri said, speaking quietly, although her gaze remained very angry.

"You would go home and have your people challenge her authority when you could rule by blood and she took the crown as your mother's choice," Daire said, shaking her head, her expression saddening. "How can you be certain she will even return with us? She is not one of our people."

"She will come with us because she knows she must," Siri said calmly. "She can protect us and we can—"

"She is not our protector, Siri. We are," Daire said, gesturing to the women gathered outside their tent and to the others scattered throughout the trees. "What do you think she has been teaching us? She has been showing us how to defend ourselves. This is our greatest test, Siri, to see if we can fulfill her expectations of us."

"Perhaps," Siri said, relaxing on her perch, her hands held over the small fire.

"Was there anytime in your life, even if it was just a moment, that you saw her as a mother and not as a thorn?" Daire asked her softly.

"There was a time," Siri replied. "All she had to do was glance at me and I knew my place. I knew she would protect me to her death and to others, if need be. You were lucky to have been taken in by the Council, for they protected you from this life… I watched her fight so many times." She looked up as time seemed to pass before her eyes. "I knew I wanted to be like her, as a daughter would wish to be like her Mother, so yes… there was a time."

"Has that time completely passed us?" Daire asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Siri bit her lip as she carefully considered her answer. "Why would I risk my life and the lives of our people to rescue her if she was not what she had become to me?" She paused. "I know now that she is not my Mother. She brought me up with the same values my mother instilled in her. She brought me up to be a Queen and for this our friction escalates."

"I did ask you for your honesty," Daire replied. "It finally seems I have received it."

Siri nodded as she prodded the fire with a sharp stick. "All you had to do was ask for it."

There was a ringing silence between them once again.

"What do you think the King of the Elves would want with our Lady?" Daire asked Siri.

"Who else would know more about this land?" Siri asked. "She has great knowledge of it, as do we all."

Daire opened her mouth to reply but closed it, and once again silence fell between them.

- - - -

When King Thranduil had invited her to dinner, she had accepted it. She didn't know, however, that by accepting this invitation, she was privileged to dine with the entire court. More than twenty Elves stood around the table where the King, his son Legolas and his own counselors surrounded her. Even for a cave, this was a castle of great beauty.

They ate for the most part in silence while Buffy listened to the other Elves tell Thranduil the tidings to the south. She watched his face intently as he responded to these statements, looking for any sign of weakness. Legolas caught her staring at his father as she chewed thoughtfully, not saying anything.

"Are you enjoying this?" he asked her, hoping to draw her gaze.

She turned her intense eyes towards him and gave him a half-smile. "Oh, it's very enjoyable."

He caught the double meaning behind her words and realized then he had kept her gaze. She looked amused, as though she thought that sitting at a table with a court seated with royals was something she did daily. Once she finished eating, she rose, setting her plate aside. "Thank you for dinner," she said loudly, interrupting the flow of speech from the far end of the table. "It was great listening to you and your captains argue for the past half hour." Turning, she made to leave when Legolas stood up.

"My Lady," he said.

She spun around to look at him, blinking. "Yes?" she asked in a voice of deadly soft.

"Come with me," he said, moving around the end of the table and reaching for her arm. "I wish to escort you."

"You're not getting paid, you know," she replied, hesitantly giving him her hand.

His eyes alone showed this little confusion, yet they moved away from the hall and towards the rest of the great cavern with its many levels. The King and his counselors stopped speaking at once, staring after the dim light of the Mirkwood Prince and his Lady escort.

"Your son, my Lord, has taken it upon himself to escort our guest," said one of the Elves, looking wary.

"This I have seen," Thranduil replied, but instead of sounding down, his tone was rather pleasant and showed great delight. "Perhaps there is a way to court such disaster after all…"

Their soft footsteps echoed from the walls closing around them as they passed through a darkened corridor. Only the faint light of the Eldar from his frame gave enough light to see into the distance. The hand on her arm was warm and brought with it comfort. As the walls widened, she found herself looking at the great halls beyond. Releasing his arm, she descended a small series of steps and looked about as great statues of the Sindar of old surrounded them and with them, great tapestries lined with tales of great alliances and the great war in times past.

Legolas watched her solemnly, not wanting to corrupt this moment for her. She seemed to be taking everything in as her hands passed over the statues and tapestries in the halls. Great paintings lined the walls of the circular room, better known by his father as the room of their ancestors.

"This room is old," she said, her voice echoing around her. "Very old… these things are ageless, aren't they?"

"They were brought from Lindon thousands of years ago," Legolas told her.

"Lindon…" she said softly, her hand drifting across a dusty tapestry. "There is one place I have not heard of. Can you tell me about it?"

"The tale I fear would take long into the night," he replied, finally stepping aside as she came back towards him.

"Oh," she said, and glancing down, she seemed to come to another conclusion. "When was it destroyed?"

"It exists still," Legolas replied. "It lies far beyond the Misty Mountains and farther beyond the Blue. It is a great land to the west, where the Grey Havens remain."

"There is so much of this world that I haven't seen," she said quietly, turning to glance one last time at the room behind them. "I always thought that if I were to return to the place where my people existed, I would find that adventure at last. But now…" Her hands fell in front of her and she twisted them together. "I know my women mean a lot to your father, but you have to understand that they already made a sacrifice to remain here as long as they have. Home is the one place they know they belong. They don't belong here." She turned to face him. "They never were meant to be here. I have to get them home."

"Where do you belong, hiril nín?" he asked her as she retreated upstairs to his side. She gave him a gentle look but turned away, emitting a bittersweet laugh.

"I belong in the world of fighting," she said bitterly as she retreated down the corridors.

"There are many who would seek such allegiance with one of such skill as your own," Legolas told her as they came out of the corridors. She was standing on a small stone dais overlooking the rest of the passageways below. He saw the grim determination in her eyes and saw at last her resolve crumble.

"Where do you belong, Legolas?" she asked him, turning to face him. "Do you belong in the world of fighting?"

"There is no one world of fighting," Legolas said grimly as he stood beside her. "There is only this world and one dark power trying to destroy what we have."

"You know what is to come and I know what exists," Buffy said softly. "For this, we would make great allies. But I fear my people would never accept such news."

"They are not your people," Legolas told her in a firm voice.

"They became my people when their leader gave me her crown on her deathbed," Buffy snapped. "I have taken them too far to let it all go to waste now! Can't you see that?"

"Your people bring you great pride," Legolas said. "Would it bring you comfort to see them home safely?"

She nodded and glanced up at him. "It doesn't bring much comfort to know I won't be there with them," she said sadly as a tear sparkled from the corner of her eye. "Does your King really just expect me to let them go?"

"My Father would never ask you to let them go," Legolas replied. "I would be the one."

She blinked and sniffed and she turned away to glance downwards. "There are greater things happening, aren't there? I felt it today when I was in my room. The Elves are preparing for a great war."

"It will be one of the last wars of our time, I fear," Legolas replied. As she turned to move away, he closed his hand over hers on the railing. "Do not grieve for what has not yet come to pass. There are greater things than letting those you love go."

She nodded and gently pulled her hand from underneath his. "You're right," she said, nodding fervently. "I should just wait and see what happens, right?"

He looked at her and saw that rather than looking comforted, she appeared to be uneasy. "You are restless," he observed.

"It's sort of strange to be around you all," she said uncomfortably. "I mean, you're okay, but your father is just..."

"I know how my father is," Legolas said in a heavy tone. "I have spent many years living in these halls."

"He's a King," Buffy said softly. "It's like meeting an idol who died a few hundred years ago, like meeting Napoleon or something. And yet… he's a King."

"You are a Queen," Legolas replied.

She gave him a strange look then. "I am no one's Queen," she replied.

"Your people believe it," Legolas replied. "Why cannot you?"

"If you were in my place, would you let your people go?" she asked. "How could you ask me to give up?"

"You say you belong in the world of fighting," Legolas replied. "I would assume you would mean where the great war will begin. My father is just one of the Elven lords, yet he is one of the only to stand as King. Sauron will come for us."

"How bad is it out there?" she asked him.

"We have held back many dark creatures for many years," Legolas responded as he returned to her side. "War comes soon, and it will take us all."

"We have many women to protect the rest of the people," Buffy said, her eyes thoughtful. "I believe they could make it over the mountains safely. Siri will take them." A smile came to her face then as she glanced at Legolas. "Can you believe that she's my daughter? Well, I took her as my child when her mother died."

"Perhaps you can see my father's point of view," Legolas replied.

"From a parent's perspective, he only wants to protect those he loves," Buffy interjected, finally pulling away. "This great war that is coming, could it use another champion, even if she's a woman?"

"They could ask for none greater," Legolas agreed. He watched as she took a deep, shuddering breath as she looked up at him. A single tear fell down her cheek and he reached over to brush it aside. She captured his hand then, holding it to her face, which was still far too cold. Tipping her face towards his, she could see the passive expression in his eyes as she stepped forward and pushed the Elf into a gentle embrace.

"Thank you," she murmured against his cloak. "I don't think you'll ever know how much."

Before she could move, his arms came and tightened across her smaller frame as he rested his head against the crown of her head. For some reason, this felt very welcome. A few days ago, she had been willing to kill him. Now at nearly full strength, she was embracing him instead of embellishing in the kill and for this reason alone the embrace was welcome.

He felt her move back, looking up at him with astonishment in her eyes. "I didn't know Elves could hug," she said softly.

He opened his mouth to reply when a figure suddenly appeared above them. "My Lord, Legolas," the voice said. "We have been unable to locate the Lady of—"

"She is here," Legolas said, stepping to the side to allow the messenger to see the young woman now staring up at him. "What is it?"

"News from the road watch, Sire," the messenger replied. "They were overcome this evening by a large force of women."

Legolas turned immediately to Buffy who nodded and sighed, "Siri."

- - - -

All through the night the women continued to march until they came upon an old road that drew directly through the forest. It had been years since it was traveled by their people, but at first it became their means of escape. Siri allowed her horse to cross the road when she realized something was odd about the forest ahead.

It was far too quiet.

The guard from the north returned and spoke of the great Elvish guards near the mountains in the distance, but of the guards near the roads, no one could tell.

This meant that the road was controlled by Orcs, or, worse yet, another foul creature from Mordor.

With their guards surrounding them, the other women crossed the road and soon were back within the darkness of the forest. Overhead, the brilliant early morning light fell onto their faces until they reached the woods. Orcs from Mordor despised the sunlight and given that they had chosen to take the road at first light was a bit of luck.

She sent the northern guards ahead and kept the archers and the swords-women ready in case they were attacked from the forest.

But, as their ride continued almost due north now, there came no attack.

"Siri, we must press on," Daire counseled, as the path grew dark before them.

"No," Siri replied. "If we press on, we would likely meet either an Elf or an Orc and I am in no mood tonight to fight either."

"Siri, I do not fear the darkness," Daire pressed. "I fear that something has changed. I feel as though the darkness is not there."

"It is but twenty feet before your eyes if you would look at it," Siri retorted.

They stopped an hour later to make camp. Guards were posted at all directions and the women who were able to sleep were given permission to rest. Siri spent the second night in a row scrubbing the scent of horse from her long, ethereal cape. It had been her mother's and it fit her beautifully, but it really belonged on a Queen and not just the surrogate child of the supposed one. At last, she set the damp cloak aside and noticed that Daire was staring hard into the fire, her azure eyes blazing with emotion.

"Something has happened," she said, her voice slow and dramatic. "I can feel them coming for us."

Siri chose to ignore her when a great cry came from behind them. Two guards rode up, both looking wary. "What news have you?"

"The Orcs have turned to the north once again," one of them panted. "They will overtake us in less than an hour."

Even in the moment of blind chaos, the distant sound of many footfalls and drum beats was heard over the sound of hectic breathing and moaned whimpers coming from the circle of women surrounding them.

Daire spoke then. "The Elves are too far to protect us. You asked that they withdraw to the mountains, but we would not reach them until morning."

"We are still two days from the Realm," the other guard gasped.

"Siri?" Daire asked, turning to her cousin. "What must we do?"

"We run," she said, glancing at the women staring at her in the darkness. "If they come upon us, we will turn and fight. We must stay true to our mission: to find our Lady and to bring her home."

A cry soon sounded and most of what remained on the ground was left behind as those on foot were sent to the eastern borders to take the path of the river to the north. Siri sent Daire with them and took only two guards for herself, knowing she could defend herself better than Daire could.

"I expect to see you the day after tomorrow in the Woodland Realm," she said as Daire mounted her steed. "If by chance I do not find you…"

"I _will_ find you," Daire replied. "Do not worry for me. It is Buffy we should worry for. They come to take her back and not even the power of the Elves can conceal this threat."

"I do not think they know of it," Siri said, hearing a great beating of drums in the distance. "Go, Daire… ride hard. Go… go!"

With her remaining guards, Siri walked amongst them, handing them jars of oil. They quickly drew a long line around the circle of camp before filling in the gaps with smaller circles. Siri walked over, setting down a torch into the last remaining fire as the guards beside her readied their arrows.

But she wouldn't hear anything of it. "You need to go," she told her guards quietly. "I will take care of things here. You must go, and that is an order."

Her guards didn't dare argue with her. Already the torch lights of the enemy were approaching. Taking their horses, the came about to face their leader for what may be the final time. "Take different paths to the north. If you should come upon Daire, tell her I will see her." As the horses sped off into the distance, she turned and lifted her own torch as the enemy approached camp. Drawing back into the shadows, she held the light high to bring their attention to her and not to the trap they had set up. When most of the enemy's frontal force was within the circle, she bent down, touching the torch to the oily circle.

At once, the circle was set alight. Pulling back, Siri watched as the Orcs were surrounded by the rings of fire, the trees overhead catching on fire. Despite this small price to pay, Siri rushed to her horse and mounted her, turning back to see the enemy attempting to get out of the circle.

She had just bought her people their lives and the last few precious hours they had.

- - - -

This part was meant to be longer. Instead, I divided it into two. Thus, Siri will discover something that might upset the balance of power within the forest while Buffy clashes with the Elven king.


	8. Part VIII

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: PG-13.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years.

**Gratitudes**: I really do appreciate all of the feedback for this story! Any input can only make this story stronger. I may be new to the entire writing scene, hence I seem to take criticism badly. It is sort of ironic, since I seem to be able to give it but am still rather weak to take it. That being said…

_Tracey –_ I will try to answer this in the most level-headed method I can. It just comes to show that Buffy doesn't _know _about the Elves, really. It may have been implied, but it was never said. Buffy doesn't know where Thranduil has been. She does not know how old he is. For all she knows, he could have been made King of a species that appeared out of mid-air. The only thing she does know is that she believes she is there for the purpose that she actually goes out to fight the evil while the Elves protect their realm from it. The King, of course, has other plans. These are the only humans living in the forest. Because of that, their leader has been stalked by the Nazgûl to become one of them (because she is technically living and dead, two qualities that are very much searched for amongst the Ringwraiths). And you are right. Buffy's force of a hundred wouldn't post much of a threat. Her force is actually larger than that, as was hinted in this next section. And despite the fact I do not handle criticism very well, I will ask you this since you seemed to imply my characterization of Buffy was rather off – is her character any better in this story?

**Part Summary**: Siri learns that she knows almost nothing about the woman whom her mother entrusted her life to… and Buffy begins to learn she's in over her head.

**Notes:** It has been a hell of a few weeks. I try to post at the same time every week, but these past two have been beyond awful. First my daughter was sick and needed some time in the hospital. Being only two, it was quite frightening for both her father and I. I was restricted to bed last week when I fell ill, so both my daughter and I were sick at the same time. My mother had to cross state lines to come and take care of us because there was no way that he could take care of both of us. Hence, I spent a long time editing out parts of this section I did not like and piecing together the ones I did. I would appreciate any and all input on this and hopefully next week I can regain a footing of my old schedule because I, for one, am certainly not used to sleeping fourteen hours a day. Until the next part, I hope you enjoy!

- - - -

**Part VIII**

- - - -

Daire reached the edge of the wood late the following evening. She was breathing hard when she came upon the sixty women she had taken with her. Not one of them had seen an enemy Orc, but they had set up a rearguard in case they were attacked. Now less than a half-day's ride from the Woodland Realm, they had come to the south of the Long Lake and the township that resided there. It was then they made the decision to escape back into the forest. Many of the women with her were the ones on foot. After resting and bathing in the cool springs from the river, they set camp and waited for the others to come.

Alwyn was the first to arrive with thirty women on foot, all of them exhausted. They happily accepted the cool pond for bathing and scrubbing their attire as they rested. Woman by woman, more gathered, but it wasn't until those on horseback started coming did Daire realize that a battle had indeed been fought.

"Where is Siri?" Alwyn asked one of these rearguards.

"We do not know," said the guard that Siri had dismissed at the last moment. "She remained behind with arrows and jars of oil."

Daire dismissed them all, worried about her cousin and concerned for her safety. She had undoubtedly bought her people time but with that decision came certain death. She stared into the flickering flames until a faint shade of pink was seen on the horizon. From this small area, she could hear the songs of the Elves and knew they were in the protected area of the Realm to the north.

It was just before daybreak when the last horse rode into camp, sporting Siri. Daire leapt from her seat with a cry, awakening many of the other women.

But she wasn't alone. There were a group of Elves on horseback with her and she bore a grave face. She dismounted immediately and glanced at the open looks of concern on the faces surrounding her. It was then she met the eyes of her cousin and averted her gaze.

"Where were you?" Daire asked.

"I was held up," Siri replied honestly. "Come, we must ride to the Realm. We must hasten."

Judging by the look on Siri's face, she had heard something dark and not to her liking. "What is it?" Daire asked.

"Ride with me," Siri responded, glancing at the women around them. "You have one hour."

Daire gave the order and the women began gathering what little they had left before hastening on their attire. She saw that Siri looked torn between tears and toil as she stared at the women surrounding them, hurrying to dress in what they fondly called their battle attire. Daire, on the other hand, was wearing something her mother had once worn. It was for their great banquets of the past, she realized, glancing at the golden dress, very heavy and the cloak behind it heavier still, draping over the backside of her poor steed.

Yet Siri was resigned not to say anything until she could speak to Daire freely. She did not know the troubles that their Lady had gotten herself in, nor would she realize how deeply emerged she was within the Elves now. There was little they could do to save her now. And it had all begun with the tidings of the Elves the previous night.

- - - -

Buffy awoke early, sitting up and stretching. It had been yet another glorious night of rest on an even more gloriously soft bed. She rose and wrapped her cloak around her body, moving to the basin and splashing cool water on her face.

The previous day had been spent in negotiations. Once again, she and King Thranduil had grown frustrated at one another and had both stalked off prior to dinner. When his invitation had come again, she had declined it, preferring to dine in her room. Legolas had come by near nightfall to ask her why she had not accepted his father's invitation. She had already been in a foul temper as it was. To have him come and tell her off for not accepting the invitation of a man she considered to be a classless moron, she really let him have it.

"Are you your Ada's boy?" she taunted, throwing aside her cloak, her hands on her hips as she glared at him. "Are you trying to play sick, twisted games to get me to do your Daddy's bidding because I got to say, I do not really like that."

"I came here to speak to you without his will," Legolas replied, looking slightly taken aback by her hostile attitude.

"Sure you did," she said mockingly, circling around him, her eyes now very cold. "I'm not something you play around with, Legolas. There is a reason why the Dark Lord wants my allegiance and I have to say that he can woo a hell of a lot better than you Elves do."

"What say you?" Legolas asked, his tone now full of disbelief as he gazed at the smaller woman, a challenge not hidden in her icy gaze.

"I would rather be at the mercy of Sauron than spend hell and eternity here," she retorted, her voice low and menacing. Her saw the ice in her gaze and felt the frost in her voice. "Your father wishes for me to remain here as a servant to the Elves. Do you not have any idea how dangerous this is? Do you have the strength to repel the Nazgûl? They will come for me… can you stand against the rising darkness?" She saw his passive face and his eyes that held nothing; no warmth nor any indication he'd understood what she had just said. "I am no Elf's servant."

Gone was the warmth he had felt from her the night before. Every time his body had been in contact with hers, she had been so cold. But the previous night he had felt warmth in her fingertips and had seen something like hope in her eyes. He had felt her the night before. Now all he could sense from her was darkness and death.

Once again, it seemed as though his father had destroyed any connection she might have felt towards the Elves.

He would risk contact, however. His people had need for this woman, despite her dark history and the past that seemed to haunt her very steps in this Realm. He reached for her, but as soon as his hand touched her icy skin, a cold hand came and knocked his arm away.

He met her gaze, warning flashing in her eyes. "If you touch me again, I'll kill you," she snarled as she stormed past him and out into the darkness.

It had taken her many hours to cool off. Scrubbing her skin red and raw didn't do it justice. She had stood at the balcony, listening to the gentle songs sung below, feeling as though the tension were mounting within her. Siri was no more than two days away and to find her within close company with Legolas and King Thranduil was going to give her great reason to despise her. After what seemed like hours, she had gone off to bed.

Most of her bad temper had gone overnight and she felt relieved as she dressed, feeling the soft material against her skin. She was hungry, too, since she'd barely had any dinner the night before. There was a sense of foreboding in the air but Buffy refused to accept it. If she went in to speak with Thranduil this morning in a bad temper, she would end up killing him. Or else she would end up on the receiving end of many well-aimed arrows.

There were people already coming and going as she approached the King's dining room. She found it empty, although there was still food set on the table. Spying one of the attendants, she asked if she could eat and the Elf-woman told her to take her time.

She sat with her goblet of water and her fruits and her lembas bread. Storing a bit of lembas and an apple for later in case she decided against dinner that evening, she rose and glanced behind her. The room was still empty, but she felt as though she were being watched. She moved out of the dining room, feeling as though she were being paranoid. Once outside, she moved towards the great railings overlooking the river far below as song broke out around her. In the distance, she saw Legolas and she felt her heart plummet.

She felt guilty after yelling at him the night before. She had no right to vent her anger upon him, no matter how unusual his father was. Knowing she should apologize and yet feeling guilty about wanting to, she moved towards him. He seemed to sense her and met her halfway. His face was nonetheless passive, but his eyes were slightly confused. Before she could reach him, she stopped. He paused too, his gaze apprehensive. He had no need to quarrel further and he knew that her temper was easily flared. His face was bearing an expression of concern now as he regarded her.

"I'm sorry," she said, shrugging. "I lost my cool… what can I say?"

"In the Woodland Realm, we say _naethen_," Legolas replied.

"I should not have said what I said," she sighed, moving around him. "It's just that your father drives me mental, literally! To know I am willing to sacrifice so much to remain in this forest and to know I will have to live with him? Oh, I would be so willing to accept Sauron than accept your father's mulish ways!"

Knowing that this could once again escalate into an argument, Legolas reached forward and leant against the statue in the walk. "You remain a leader of your people, my Lady," he said softly. "Until the end of days shall he see you as such, if only you could remember your temper."

"I know," she said, smiling. "I have a bad temper. Chalk it up to twenty three of the most hell-forsaken years of my life and you have—" She froze, shaking her head. "I'm missing something here," she added. "See, you guys apparently live for thousands of years and have been fighting the bad for… how long? Oh, right… so, why me? What could you possibly want with me?"

Legolas wasn't looking at her. Perhaps he didn't know the answer. "You have been fighting against these forces whereas we protect our realm," he finally said in his calm demeanor.

"There's still a lot I don't know about why I'm really here," she said. "Your father won't tell me and he's supposedly been fighting these forces since—"

Her voice was cut off by the sound of horns.

"Those are not Elvish horns," Legolas said, releasing her and moving towards the cavern. "They come into the Realm."

"It's Siri," she said, moving past him. She was no longer smiling.

The horns blew again as the Elves paused, watching thirty two horses and more than one hundred and fifty women on foot parade through their main street towards the cavern serving as the great castle of King Thranduil.

- - - -

"Siri? What is it? You look ever so troubled…"

Siri blinked as she stared straight ahead. Daire rode beside her, her face a perfect mask of concern.

She had ridden straight into the heart of the closest Elvish guard. After spending a few minutes convincing them she wasn't an enemy set out to kill them, they had told her what they had been told by Legolas when he had passed through four days before.

Despite her hatred for a race she barely knew, she just stared at them quietly before slowly riding off. When they had finally brought her back after convincing her it would be suicide to ride alone, she spent the night in their care, staring at the fire, trying to process what they had been telling her.

Why on earth would the Elves, immortal, intelligent beings thousands of years old want a woman who had absolutely no love for them?

"It always has to be the blood?" Siri asked, swallowing hard as she glanced at the guard sitting across from her.

"They only wish to protect her," the guard replied.

"From death," she said, sounding unconvinced.

"If she were to become what they fear she may yet become, it would destroy the Mirkwood," a second guard explained. "We have no powers to protect our people save one."

"You have much knowledge," Siri said quietly. "Why would you care for her? She has far less knowledge than you ever would!"

"We have spent much time observing her," the first Elven guard replied. "She is not like you."

"How would you know, unless you've been there with her from the beginning?" Siri snapped, her voice turning defensive.

"How is it that a woman from some land unknown would not age?" the second guard asked calmly. Siri turned her sharp gaze towards him, yet he continued on. "She would have died had she been in the right mind to do so, and yet she lives and with the presence of death."

Siri couldn't answer him. She didn't know how.

"I do not know," she said, her gaze never leaving his fair face.

"Yet you claim to be one of her own?" the Elf asked.

"My mother entrusted her role and my life to her," she sighed. "Perhaps she knew what Buffy was."

"Buffy is not a name of our world," the second guard told her.

Siri closed her eyes against their questions. So many questions needed to be answered and yet there was one that stood out above all. "What would your King want with a woman not of our people?"

"He believes her to possess some witchcraft and this is why the Witch King has need of her," the Elf informed her.

Siri opened her eyes. "And still he wishes for a union?"

"It may be the only way to uncover the truth," he replied. "For years she withheld the truth from your people. As you are about to journey back across the mountains, it seems little likely she would confide in you now."

Siri shook her head slowly. "This is something I cannot believe," she said under her breath.

"From what we know of her, she values your lives above her own," said the Elven guard, handing her a small package wrapped in a green leaf. She took it hesitantly, staring at what appeared to be some sort of hard, flat bread inside. "That is lembas."

"I have heard of this," Siri said quietly, breaking off a corner and biting into it. "My mother used to tell me the stories of the days of old when there was a great trade between our peoples, back in the days of peace."

Both Elves exchanged a look. "There have not been days of peace since the destruction of Sauron in the last Age," one replied, inclining his head.

Siri watched them both before swallowing. "Huh," she marveled. "What do you know? Maybe you are not as bad as I thought you were."

Even as Siri relayed this story to her cousin, Daire watched her through narrowed eyes full of disbelief. Well, Siri never expected Daire to believe her in the first place. If the word of the union had been bad enough, imagine her surprise to learn that the Elves seemed to know more about their revered leader than Buffy herself had told them.

"But your mother must have known," Daire protested as the two continued towards the realm, riding aside with their family guards as the others trooped behind them on foot. The Elves had returned to patrol, yet a few followed them into the realm.

"Perhaps," Siri said softly. "It does not excuse that we have not known the truth all along. Why would the Elves wish for her allegiance when they are far older and wiser than she? Why would they ask for her hand in the state of affairs when they have held their own for quite some time? She obviously must pose a threat to the stability of a people that has been in this forest for _thousands _of years!"

Daire glanced down as though in thought. "Perhaps she knows why they want her allegiance."

"Perhaps she was too cowardly to admit that she has no method to defeat the darkness should it come… save the excuse of this race!" Siri retorted.

They finally approached the crest of the hill.

"We ride in formation," Siri said in her sullen, dulcet tones.

"Siri…" Daire said, her tone half-pleading.

"I want her to look upon her people and to know that she betrayed my trust. I, whom she loved as a child and raised as her own flesh and blood!"

Daire gave a great sigh and pulled their old battle horn from her saddle. Raising it to her lips, she blew into the trumpet three times, the sound echoing in the trees around them and reverberating into the valley below.

Siri's Elven host came up to ride with them, leading them through the main path in their realm to the cavern under the highest trees. From the region beyond the cavern, two figures hurried to see a great host of women drawing to a halt.

One of them was the Elven Prince, Siri thought as she dismounted smoothly, her eyes set on the older Elf.

The Elves appeared to be rather startled until one of the rearguards came up and bent to speak into the ear of the Prince. When the guard stepped away, Legolas turned to face Siri. "You have come from a great distance to see her."

"To save her," Siri replied, a hard edge to her voice. "Do not tell me you do not know what your Father plans, Thranduilion."

Buffy had been slower to arrive and even as she was still out of sight, she saw Siri standing before Legolas, looking aggressive. Legolas appeared to be his normally calm self but she knew that if Siri started with the violence Legolas would not hesitate to put her in her place. She moved quickly to intercept before such things could happen.

"Perhaps you would care to enlighten me?" Legolas asked, spreading one arm to gesture to the cavern behind him. "My Father would be honored to accept your—"

"There is no way I would go _anywhere _with you," Siri said in a low growl. Daire quickly dismounted, as did several of the other women. Already they were drawing a crowd of curiously tall beings, all with the same pointed ears and long, sparkling hair. The sunlight above them fell through the trees, casting odd shadows. "I demand you release her at once."

"Siri," Daire said, leaning over to speak with her cousin. "Perhaps it would be wisest to not threaten a race far older and superior than our own."

"You speak as though we are thieves in the night?" Siri asked haughtily, outraged. "How dare you, especially as you are one of us? We are not vagrants of the house of pigs, Daire. We were once honored in a race beyond glory and our cities await our presence and the sounds of the trumpets alone will carry us home." The beautiful light in her eyes vanished as she looked upon Legolas. "Our Lady will return with us."

"She cannot," Legolas said simply.

Siri had had enough of the negotiations, but before she could strike out at him a hand caught her fist and propelled her backwards into her knights. Buffy stood there, gazing at Siri with a mild of expression of surprise on her face.

"You should listen to your cousin, Siri," Buffy said calmly.

"You!" Siri cried, turning to face Buffy. "I trusted you and all this time you have been hiding from me, from all of us!"

"This was my choice," Buffy said, trying to sound nonchalant while internally she was silently berating the girl. If only she knew the real truth.

"There are thousands of us who may begin to question _your choices_," Siri replied coldly. "We have strength in numbers you cannot deny."

"I know," Buffy replied. "But there is something to be said about class and it isn't about riding uninvited into your neighbor's realm and trying to attack its prince now, is there?"

"There is something to be said about lying to those whose lives are entrusted to you!" Siri said, her voice ringing in the dense silence.

Buffy crossed her arms uncomfortably and shifted, glancing quickly at the Elves now gathering around the group.

Siri called for the rest of the women to disperse. "We are no threat to this land," she said in her calmest tone. "You are the only one who could threaten this realm. Why did you have to bring my people into this?"

"They are also my—" Buffy began, but Siri cut her off.

"But we are _not _your people, are we?" Siri demanded, her hands on her hips. "You never spoke of your real lands, have you?"

How did it come to this, Buffy wondered in amazement as both Siri and Daire turned accusatory glances upon her. Even Legolas was gazing at her and, to bide her time, she glanced away. She was reminded of a time when Siri had been younger and Buffy had been caught by the child in another deception, one that did not stand between two peoples, one great in size with formidable warriors and one small with a strong leader and a ragtag group of women to defend them.

Sighing, she turned back to Siri and knew it was time to tell the woman the truth. "Come with me," she said, gesturing to a path to their left. It was the only way to settle this, she decided.

"May I come?" Daire asked. She had always loved Buffy even as a child.

Buffy slowly nodded. "You may come," she said, glancing at the few guards who remained. "There is an area to the west of the lake yonder," she said, gesturing beyond the trees. "It would be wisest to camp there."

The guards bowed before her and hurried off to do her will. It was obvious that even in the time of discord these women believed her to be their leader. Siri watched them go, a dark look on her face. Buffy waited until the others had gone before stepping past the Elves. Siri and Daire exchanged a look before following behind her.

"I assume you attacked the Prince because he was threatening your life," she said calmly as the three walked down a series of steps towards the gardens alongside the river.

Siri glared at her for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I attacked him because he thinks he knows what is best for you."

"Oh," Buffy replied. "Well, what do you think is best for me?"

"You belong with us," Daire said, her tone full of confusion. "You belong with your people."

"Or, if what I have heard is correct, you belong in the shadow," Siri said in a cold voice.

Buffy stopped and turned to look at the younger woman. "If you have something to say to me, say it. No more games, Siri."

"That is fair," Siri said, walking down to stand beside her smaller leader. She gazed upon the shorter woman with her dark eyes. "Are you living, or are you dead?"

"I don't know," Buffy said honestly.

This was obviously not the answer either one of them were expecting. They exchanged a troubled glance before turning back to her. "What say you?" Daire asked in a small voice.

"You asked for it," Buffy said simply, walking over to one of the benches and sitting down. The other two women joined her, sitting down on either side of her. "As far as I know, I'm dead. Yet here I am, as alive as it may seem. Maybe I am a shadow. Maybe I'm just a ghost of a reflection of what I used to be, I don't know."

"The Elves believe you to be a threat to this world," Siri said slowly, deciding it was her time to confide in her leader. "They see you as someone who could destroy this realm."

"They're right," Buffy replied.

"But you cannot be a creature of darkness!" Daire gasped, glancing from Siri to Buffy. "You have given us far too much of yourself to be so!"

"I am only what I am," Buffy said, her tone one of defeat. "I promised Edrea I would see your people return to their home and I told her I would take care of you, Siri. She knew what I was and what I could become and yet she believed that I had the strength to do what I have done."

"And the Elves? What of them?" Siri asked.

"They have been fighting wars against these shadows for thousands of years," Buffy said, her face a myriad of emotion. "They can protect me from what I don't know. I have protected you for twenty years, Siri. It is finally time for you to learn how to watch your own back."

"This is folly!" Daire cried, jumping to her feet. "How can you ask us to leave you behind?"

"Daire," Buffy said, turning to her, "you know your parents wanted you to see your homelands! I will not deny them their dying wish."

Daire turned on her heel and stormed off, past the guards and up the stone steps. Buffy closed her eyes and sank her head to her hands.

Siri was watching her leader with an expression of both pity and concern on her face. "This darkness must pass," she said.

"It never does," Buffy whispered. "It'll never go away. Don't you get it, Siri? Don't you see the big picture here? There's a war coming and it's going to be bad. Your people are going to have to choose their sides. We have chosen ours."

"And you have chosen this?" Siri asked softly.

"Siri," Buffy said, glancing up at her. For the first time, Siri could see the weight of their world resting on her shoulders. Despite her youthful appearance, Buffy seemed to have aged several decades before her very eyes.

"Or will you let _him _choose it for you?" Siri retorted, her voice becoming sharp.

A flicker of confusion swept through Buffy's anguished gaze. "What?"

"Did you not know?" Siri asked, her tone turning haughty. "The Elves are able to protect you if they deem you to be one of them. Are our people so unsatisfactory that you cannot return home with us?"

Buffy shook her head as she tried to process what the younger woman had said. "Siri, stop for a moment. What is this about 'deeming me to become one with them'?"

"Why do you suppose he sent the _Prince _to you?" Siri asked slowly, as though trying to explain this to a wayward child. "He wants to bind you to his people. We may be nothing to them, but you are his weapon. Because you a shadow, you can never die."

Buffy closed her eyes at these words. "Oh," she sighed.

"Buffy?" Siri asked softly, watching as Buffy pressed her hands to her face. Concern flashed through her cold gaze as she laid her hand upon her leader. "You did not know this, did you?"

"I knew it was more than wanting my army," she said with a bitter laugh as she looked up. "I never thought it could be this."

"He has betrayed your trust?" Siri asked, a hopeful hint in her tone.

"Not enough, I'm afraid," Buffy said, standing up. "We don't have much time if they do what I think they're going to do."

Siri didn't have to ask who it was Buffy was speaking of. The Orcs were more than likely regrouping for an attack on the realm to reclaim their glorious prize.

"Siri, I want you to send word to the village. Tell everyone to pack up and head for the old road in the center. We're getting our people out of here before the war comes."

Siri rose. "Yes, my Lady," she said, quickly making to move away.

"Siri?" Buffy called out, turning back to face the younger woman. Siri paused and turned back, looking thoughtful.

"Yes?" she called.

"I never meant to lie to you," Buffy said. "There were things I needed to protect and you are one of them. I just wanted you to know that in case… in case there isn't time."

Siri gave her a small, hesitant smile before moving off.

Buffy sighed and dropped back onto her bench, running her hands through her hair as she rested her forehead on her knees. "I should have expected this," she sighed into her gown. "I should have known that this is what they truly wanted. I should have known I would come back wrong. If they are the only ones with the power to protect me, why should I risk this? How did it come to that? How did it come down to this?"

- - - -

_There was the slight sound of weeping in the next room as Buffy stepped inside the tent, gazing upon a young girl lying in her cot, her eyes half-closed. "Where's Mother?" she asked in a tiny voice._

_"She's sick, Siri. She'll come to you soon," Buffy assured her with a smile._

_"I want to tell her how sorry I am. I never meant to hurt her."_

_"I know," Buffy said, smoothing the girl's long raven hair. _

_"Will she be all right?" Siri asked, her dark eyes wide as she surveyed Buffy's hazel orbs._

_Buffy forced herself to nod. "She'll be great," she lied, swallowing hard. "You'll see. She's going to happy again."_

_Siri smiled, accepting this as the truth for now. "Will you sing me a song?"_

_"I don't know any songs to sing that you would understand," Buffy admitted, kneeling before the younger girl's cot._

_"Will you try?" Siri asked in her sleepy voice._

_Buffy sighed and began stroking the little child's long raven hair. "I do know one song… I learnt it from your father. _We will go home, we will go home, over the seas and the mountains… when we are lost, we will go home… We will go together…"

_Siri was sleeping by the time Buffy rose and passed from the tent. A midwife was waiting outside the door. As soon as she saw Buffy, she shook her head, indicating that Edrea, their great leader, had already passed into the night._

- - - - -

In the next part, Buffy makes her final decision as her people are at last preparing to return home.


	9. Part IX

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: PG-13.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years.

**Gratitudes**: I really thank you for your comments. They will only make this story better! Yes, this fiction is intense. It is meant to be. These people will be gone within two sections, that I can assure you and thus the rest of the story will begin. As a warning, I will stick with canon on the Buffy-front of things. I hope you enjoy this section and once again, my apologies for the lateness of this section.

**Part Summary**: Buffy leaves the Woodland Realm, and she and Siri must work past their differences in order to see a future for Siri's people.

**Notes:** Once again, I thank you for your patience. It has been a rather difficult week. I know some of you look for the mushy of the romantic side of things, but I fear you may have to wait awhile. I did manage to include one moment, but until the next time they meet… they will likely be at one another's throats again.

-

**Part IX**

-

It was long since past when Buffy had sent Daire and Siri away. She remained in the gardens, lost in thought. Most of the thoughts centered on the two women she had raised as her own children. And yet, despite all she had been through, it was still difficult to face what came ahead.

From what she could see, she had two choices. She had already made the first. She was going to do what her people had asked of her – she was going to make certain her people would get home, no matter what the cost. It would seem her choices divided here, for she could either travel with them or else remain here and face the war she knew was coming.

It was so clear that the choice had already been made for her. She knew she was going to remain behind. It had been that way from the beginning. She was here for a reason and it was something beyond watching a ragtag group of villagers live. She had defended them. She had nurtured them. She had protected them. The turn was now their own.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she did not hear Daire return. It was only when she felt a hand on her shoulder did she turn sharply, nearly knocking the younger girl aside. "Oh," she said, seeing the startled look on Daire's face. "I'm… sorry. Did you need something?"

"I must apologize for my actions, earlier," Daire said in a breathless tone, still rather flustered. "I was angry and you had every right to do what you did."

"I told you the truth when you asked for it," Buffy replied swiftly. "See, had you asked me ten years ago, it might have been a different story."

"Where will you go?" Daire asked softly. "Will you ride with us? Or shall you remain behind with the Elves?"

"I think you already know the answer," Buffy said sharply. "You're a smart girl, Daire. I raised you to be intelligent."

"You raised me to be like you," Daire said, a hint of pride in her voice.

Buffy turned her head and gave the teenager a wan smile. "I did what I thought was best and if you see that as being the best, well… I'm happy things turned out this way."

"Yet you carry too little pride for your people?" Daire asked.

"This isn't about pride or blood, Daire," Buffy said, "it's about power. The balance of power in this world is about to fall apart. War is coming, Daire, and it isn't the type of war we come back from. I can feel it… it's coming and it's coming fast."

"Will you fight in this war?"

"I will," Buffy replied. It wasn't a boasting, arrogant tone of belonging, Daire realized. It was the simple truth, and it had come straight from her leader's lips.

"Will you die?" Daire asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Buffy let out a short, bitter laugh. It was bad enough that she'd appeared in this world from a hole in the sky. It was even worse when people didn't understand that shadows couldn't die – they were already dead. "No," she said, and watched as Daire's face brightened. "I'm not going to die again."

This was not what the younger girl had wanted to hear. Her face fell slightly as she turned away. Then, "Will you see us go?"

"Yeah, I'll do that much," Buffy said, watching as the younger girl twisted her hands, looking rather alarmed. "I'm not going to let you go blindly into the mountains, Daire. I won't do that again."

Daire was looking over Buffy's shoulder, her eyes widening as a figure approached.

"Who is it?" Buffy asked, not wanting to turn around in case it was someone she did not wish to speak with.

"The Elvish Prince approaches," Daire said, glancing at Buffy's face, which seemed to tighten with anger. "Do not lash out at him, my Lady. It will only serve to remind you of allies you could have had once this war of yours begins." As Legolas came, his hands neatly folded before him as he strolled, she bowed to both Buffy and the Prince. "I shall take my leave of you now. I will collect Siri and we shall ride to our camp outside this realm. You are free to join us, my Lady. In fact, we would not have it any other way."

"We'll see," Buffy said, and left it at that.

Daire sped away as Legolas walked to Buffy's location. She stared at the Elf quietly for a moment before turning away. "Are you going to ask me pointless questions about why I exist?" she asked, a hard edge to her voice.

"I know what it is your people have told you," he said in his calm voice.

"Funny," she snapped. "I didn't think that you were that tactful."

"You must be angry," he continued.

"What do you think?" she snapped, walking away from him. "I finally get out of hell only to be dumped back into hell… you're not helping matters any by being here, you know."

He didn't reply. He just watched her rant as though he knew he deserved a piece of her anger.

"Just tell me this: did you know we were supposed to bond?" she asked, her tone a harsh whisper. "Whatever that means, I mean."

"Where was it that they heard those words from?" he asked.

"From your guards to the south," she replied, folding her arms before her. "I think you know what binding oneself to another means, right? If you think I'm going to sit here and wait for those evil things to come and take me back again, you're sorely mistaken."

There was a different light in his eyes now as he glanced up at her. "Will you not go with your people?"

"I have no place with them anymore," she said with a careless shrug. "I'll get them out of the forest but once they're gone, I will have nothing more to do with them."

"You do not see this as to abandon them?" he asked quietly.

"I was never meant to be there in the first place," Buffy answered, staring out over the river and the dim shadows moving below. A faint breeze caught her hair and lifted it around her eyes as she turned back to face the Elven Prince. Her anger wasted, she forced a smile. "There are only so many things I can do. It's about time I let them go."

He saw the resolved look on her face and averted his gaze as she strode past him. "My lady?" he called to her.

She half-turned back, her eyes narrowing. "Yes?" she asked pointedly.

"The King has requested that you join him—"

"Tell your father that unless he starts telling the truth, I won't be so forthcoming in my appearances," she said coolly. "If he wants to start explaining things, he'll know where to find me." Turning, she disappeared past the gardens and into the night.

Legolas watched her move away before turning back to the gardens and resting his hand on one of the crystal-white statues. She wasn't going with her people. She was going to make certain they would get to safety and then she would remain within these hallowed woods, haunted by the shadows that seemed to lure her towards the darkness. She seemed to have strength and power enough to challenge these shadows and in the coming war, she would be needed. It brought him a great sense of relief to know that when the battles came to their realm, they would have a strong defender to protect it. She may not agree with a lot of King Thranduil's thoughts, but she knew that given her place in this world, her duty was to belong to the world of fighting.

Buffy made her way quietly from the realm, drawing as little attention to herself as possible. She walked east, towards an old trading route leading towards the lake town. She found several tents blowing gaily in the late evening breeze and several fires made for cooking. When the women saw their lady approach, many gave cries of welcome.

"We did not think you would come," Alwyn said, quickly bowing away as Buffy approached the group. Buffy gave them a tender half-smile before finding a seat near the leaders. After a few moments' pause, she reached down and pulled out one of the cooking sticks. Already the women were placing the tents as a dome over the fires and hanging kettles and pots. Motioning for the leaders to gather around her, she began to draw in the dirt.

Day soon faded to night and all of the women had gone to rest when Buffy decided to take the first watch herself. She was in a generous mood and, after all, had been getting enough rest. These women had traveled a far distance in a short amount of time and that was no easy trek.

Yet she felt uneasy as she wandered around the camp, staring into the faces she had known for years. She knew each by name and that had been an adventure in itself, she thought with a wry smile. They all had such different names, and many were hard to pronounce. It had taken her quite some time to get Alwyn's name out of her mouth the correct way.

Her mind was transported back to years before. It had been a quiet evening, one that many would see as one of the worst of their existences. It had been that night that their leader, the strongest woman they had known to date, had died. She had fallen ill with sickness and grief after the loss of her husband and all of his men. Succumb to living a life of despair and hopelessness, Edrae had watched her children fall one by one to illness and madness. She had ordered her son to be taken and hidden from the rest of her people, as his nightmares were most disturbing to both her and to the people around them.

It had been Buffy who had gone out every evening to see him. He had been locked inside a cage long enough to move about in, but small enough to confine him to his area of the forest. He had begged and pleaded with her to release him and, in the end, she had. She wasn't a monster and disobeying an order from her leader wasn't really applicable considering Buffy was more of a free spirit that happened to be trusted. Yet she had saved this child in her youth and for this reason alone she rescued him from his confinements.

It had been unfortunate when he had died a few years later of the fever which had seemed to spread like plague through their encampment.

Her mind turned back to her last conversation ever with Edrae and she found herself pacing uneasily as though memories were dredged back up.

It was nearly nightfall when Buffy had returned to the village, a few of the other women in tow. Their hunt had been successful as was seen by the older women preparing their meal. Buffy had taken her leave of them and had gone to inquire about Edrae's latest illness, something that looked to be a rather contagious form of pneumonia. Because Buffy saw it as contagious, she only allowed a midwife to accompany her.

"The news is most grave, your High," the midwife said with a low bow of her head. "I fear she may not last the night."

"Can I talk to her?" Buffy asked, feeling uneasy.

"My lady," the midwife had replied, stepping aside. Buffy had ducked inside the smaller tent to find a wasted woman lying on a cot, nearly spent. The midwife stepped in after Buffy, heading straight to a pail of water suspended from the overhead beams. After dipping a cloth inside, she turned and began to sponge off Edrae's face carefully.

"Edrae," Buffy said, quickly taking the older woman's hand, grimacing as she saw the vanished youth and beauty vanquished from such a respectable form. "Tell me what I can do…"

"I do not have much time remaining," Edrae said, her voice barely more than a throaty rasp. "You must… help them. Get them home…"

"That I can do," Buffy said, gently reaching over and removing the cloth from the midwife's outstretched hand. "Is there anything else?"

"My daughter… is she well?"

"She's great," Buffy replied tightly. "She's been asking about you."

"What have you told her?" Edrae managed to gasp out, before doubling over with loud, heaving coughs.

"That her mother will see her soon," Buffy said honestly. "But I'm not going to lie to her forever. She deserves the truth, Erae. She _is _old enough to know the difference between life and death—"

"Will you take my child?" Edrae asked, turning to look at Buffy with pleading, wasted eyes. "I have no strength left. You know this. You know that my body will not last forever."

Buffy wordlessly nodded, not knowing what to otherwise say.

"Will you care for Siri? Will you be there when I cannot?"

"Of course," Buffy said quickly. "I'm not going to just dump her anywhere."

"I know this is not the task you wanted nor set for yourself," Edrae said softly, "but I believe that you are the only one who can what remains of my people now."

"If I can do my part, I will," Buffy assured her, setting the cloth aside and stroking the woman's face. "You should get some rest."

"No," Edrae said sternly, taking Buffy's hand with a surprisingly firm grip for one so weak. "You must listen. Even the very young do not always do as they are told. They need you. They will always need you to be there for them."

"I get it," Buffy said quietly, just as she noticed a shadow on the other side of the billowy curtain.

"My lady?" a voice called from the outside. "Siri is calling for you. She wishes to speak with you as soon as you are able."

"I'll be right there!" Buffy called back, before turning to Edrae. "Don't worry about your people. I don't know what I can do for them, but if I can protect them, I will. They'll get home, safe and sound."

"That," Edrae said, her eyelids drooping slightly, a slight smile appearing on her frosty white lips, "is all I ask."

Her eyes closed suddenly as her body shuddered with pain. The midwife stood up, looking alarmed as Buffy rose, hearing a child calling her from a distance.

"Keep her as comfortable as you can," Buffy told the midwife as she gently set Edrae's hand across her chest. "She doesn't have more than an hour left at the most."

The midwife turned to Buffy, as though asking how Buffy could say such things. Buffy gave her a soft pat on the shoulder before leaving the tent. Only as the curtains swished shut behind her did she hear the sounds of weeping. Taking a deep breath, Buffy forced herself to walk the few steps into Siri's room.

Once she had left Siri, Buffy returned only to discover that Edrae had died during Buffy's absence. As the midwife drew the cloak from Edrae's once-beautiful face, Buffy gently leaned down and pressed her hand to the cold cheek. "Rest in peace," Buffy said softly, before pulling the cloak back up. Turning to the midwife, she was slightly surprised when the older woman nearly attacked her with a weak embrace, the tears flowing freely from her eyes. Her screams and wails alerted many others to what had just occurred.

But it wasn't until morning when Siri had finally discovered the truth about what had happened.

"Where's Mama?" Siri asked, ducking outside of her own curtain. She wasn't surprised to see Buffy sitting on a bench across from her. "Buffy?"

"Come here," Buffy said, moving slightly to the side and patting the empty space next to her. Confused, Siri bounded over and leapt onto the bench, staring hard at the stony face before her. "Siri, I have to tell you something and it's not going to be what you want to hear."

"Where's Mama?" Siri demanded again, her voice becoming more frightened. "I want my mother!"

Buffy felt the first crack in her emotional distress begin to peel away. She had promised herself she would remain strong for this child but her defenses were soon quailing as she turned her face away. "She's not here," Buffy said quietly.

Siri stopped breathing for a second. "Where is she?" Siri asked, the fear evident in her voice. "Where is my mother, Buffy?"

"She's gone," Buffy said, turning back to the child. "She's been sick for a very long time and last night… last night she went to the great Halls."

Siri's eyes widened at the thought of her mother joining all of the great heroes of legend. She looked awed as she stared at Buffy, although her mind was not processing what the older woman had just said to her. "Is she coming back?"

Buffy shook her head no and watched Siri's reaction carefully. The little girl looked down and after a moment she stood up, moving a few steps away. Buffy watched her as her eyes began to water. Even at such a young age, Siri had been through so much, losing most of her family within the past few years.

"Siri, your mother wants me to look after you now," Buffy said, reaching for the child. But Siri backed away, crying out.

"Do not touch me, you spawn!" Siri screamed, a tear rolling down her cheek. "You have said lies and speak that my mother will never return! All shall from the Halls someday! That is the lessons my Mama taught me!"

Buffy looked doubtfully at the girl still trying to pull herself together. After a moment, the child turned and fled down the passage. Buffy watched her go, feeling as though a piece of her had died again.

Buffy opened her eyes at the rustle of the grass behind her. She quickly reached down and grasped the handle of her sword, swinging it out and aiming it at the neckline of her attacker which turned out to be the child she had been dreaming of.

"Siri," Buffy said, pulling the sword away.

"It has been a few hours," Siri said, walking past her. "I will take the rest of the night. You should rest."

"I'm not the one leaving this forest," Buffy said quickly. "I don't need this rest."

"You have your war," Siri said coolly. "We have our petty needs and our Neanderthal stories that speak of the great hopes that lie ahead for our people."

"Damned if I do," Buffy whispered under her breath, "and damned if I don't."

"What say you?" Siri asked.

"We have been at odds for quite a few years now," Buffy said, walking up beside the younger woman and replacing her sword in its sheath. "I know that you're old enough to take control of these people now and if I—"

"I know now why my mother chose you to take care of us," Siri said, attempting to choose her words very carefully. "She believed you to be a woman of great morals. She entrusted you with my care and you promised to always look after me. You promised to take care of our people. Is this your word to her that you will now go back on?"

"The circumstances have changed," Buffy admitted. "Things aren't now as they've always been. War is upon us whether you want it not. This entire world is about to be destroyed and if I can help save it, I will."

"What about the people who have trusted you with their lives?" Siri asked. "You do not deserve their loyalty!"

Buffy shook her head. "No, I don't."

Siri looked surprised at this.

"I never wanted this," Buffy admitted. "This was her choice and I gave a dying woman comfort at knowing her people would be protected. I have spent the past twenty years protecting you. Now it's your turn."

Siri looked at her a moment before sighing. "What will become of us in the end?" she asked.

"You will go home to the land you always dreamed of," Buffy said, "and I will get my dying wish – to go out fighting."

Siri nodded slowly. "Your death," she said, as though this was most difficult, "would be devastating to us."

"Then let's make sure I get you the hell out of here before I go, okay?" Buffy asked.

"I concur," Siri replied.

"Good," Buffy said, turning to her and extending her hand. "I want my daughter by my side for one last time."

"You have never considered me as such," Siri said, looking astounded as she stared at Buffy's hand.

"I do today," Buffy said quietly, "and I will tomorrow. Of all the things I have done in this world, it is you I am most proud of."

Siri gave her a tremendous smile before leaning over and taking Buffy's hand. "It would an honor to fight at your side, my Lady," she said, bowing her head. As she lifted it, there were tears welling in her eyes. "Let us make our people proud."

"Let them always remember it was the women who defended our people."

For a moment, the two women exchanged a long look before Buffy turned and disappeared back into camp, leaving Siri alone to stand watch.

-

"Are you certain she will join us?"

Siri glanced over to see Daire standing next to her own mount, carefully threading her possessions onto the saddle, looking concerned. It had been three days since the conversation had taken place between Buffy and Siri, and it seemed to all in the camp that a truce had finally been called between them. There had not been one argument since.

"She will," Siri replied. "She wishes to see us safely out 'ere the end comes." She glanced up at the sky, which was starting to darken to the west. "She has gone before the King to inform him that she will remain behind."

Daire's face suddenly cleared as she turned to regard the forest beyond to their west. "I see," she said quietly, her voice trailing off in wonder. "I see…"

Buffy dismounted as the guards led her quickly to King Thranduil, who appeared to have been expecting her. He froze when he saw her appearance. She appeared to be wearing a long white robe, one that was customary for her people in battle. He stared at her as she pulled out her sword and tapped the tip into the ground.

"I have my decision," she said in her most confident voice. "I am to remain behind in this forest. The war will be terrible when it comes and I have always been a fighter. Well, you can't get the fight out of the girl this easily." She bowed her head as she offered her sword to him. The King looked surprised as he turned to his son, who was beaming slightly.

"I pledge my life to the Elves of this forest," she said, gesturing in a wide arc around to the beautiful forest, despite the dark clouds gathering overhead. "I will fight until the war is over, and until we win, my sword is yours."

"I… do not understand," the King finally said in his usual, calm demeanor.

"If you agree to not kill me whenever you see me, I'll fight for you," she said, sounding slightly bemused. "Otherwise… my people are leaving this morning. I'm going with them. They have a lot of work ahead of them. We plan to approach the clearing come morning, as the Orcs do not leave the trees. We are prepared to fight whatever else the darkness can throw at us, but in the end…"

"Can we be of assistance?" Legolas asked calmly.

Buffy turned to him before nodding slightly. "We could always use the help," she said, shrugging. "You have experienced bowmen and you know the forest much better than nearly half of my guards do. But…" she said, her gaze shifting to Thranduil. "I know how hard it is to defend these borders with the Elves you have now. I will not ask of your help."

The King looked relieved, but Legolas frowned slightly as he perceived what could come next.

Buffy dropped down to her knees, looking almost forlorn. "I will agree only to these terms… you will uphold your end of the agreement in ensuring that my people get safely home. My end is that I will fight the baddies for the Elves until I'm dead or else a walking shadow. Until then…" She rose and saluted him. The Elves stared at her, unaccustomed to this tradition.

"I'll see you when I return," she said, giving the King a small smile. "And I _will _return."

As she turned around and began to walk out of the chambers, she noticed the looks on many faces. They were still indifferent and yet… there was something different in their gazes, something she could not quite place. Maybe in time she would be able to.

From the gaps through the trees, she could see the other women arriving. She turned to quickly mount her own steed when a figure stepped out of the brambles.

She gave a small start, but turned her horse completely around when she saw Legolas standing there.

"Come to see me off?" she asked in a haughty tone as she straightened on her saddle slightly.

"I wanted to wish you luck," Legolas said, coming to rest beside her horse, which seemed to calm in his presence. His fair eyes took in the sight of the many horses now approaching them.

"I'll be back in a few days, a week tops," she said, turning to regard him. He was still staring at the forest, frowning slightly. "I'm not afraid of what's out there."

"They fear your power," he said. "They fear what you may become. The darkness knows what powers you have at your command and He will soon know you will remain there. Do not overlook the Nazgûl."

"I won't," she said, exhaling slightly as she heard the sound of a low horn ahead. "I should go."

His hand calmly stroked the animal before coming to rest atop her own. She turned to him in surprise, their eyes meeting, two fighters in a world preparing for the last war about to come before them all.

"Be safe," he said quietly.

She slowly turned her palm around so it was facing skywards, her fingers lightly moving against his. "I will," she said assuredly, finally pulling away. Legolas watched her move. As her horse joined the great lines of others moving to the south, she turned her head and their eyes met one last time. A flicker of a half-smile appeared on her face for a moment before she was taken in by the darkness of the trees.

-

In the next part, the Amazons finally leave the forest.

I hope to have the next part up by week's end, but again I promise nothing. My other story _will _be updated this week.


	10. Part X

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: PG-13.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years.

**Gratitudes**: This is part one of the two-part battle chapter. This one did not have much fighting, but the next part does. I am not an action-y writer, but this part was a delight to write. Buffy doesn't show emotion very well, but that doesn't mean her people can't express their gratitude. I would really appreciate an evaluation in the form of a review at the halfway point of this story. And yes, this story is halfway done. I really hope this story continues to get better.

**Part Summary**: The villagers leave as the Amazons prepare to fight their way out of the forest. However, the Nazgûl have other plans…

**Notes:** It has been quite awhile since I last posted, and for this I apologize. A lot has been going on since I last posted and I hope to continue adding to this story on a more regular level. Considering things, this story is now half-done. As another sort of milestone, this chapter pushes my "word" count above two hundred thousand, which is astounding. Thank you for being such patient readers!

x-x-x-x

**Part X**

x-x-x-x

Mauve stood near the edge of the wood, awaiting word from the guards she had spotted riding towards her. She had sent them out to create a path for the villagers to use in their escape.

The scene behind her was utter chaos. The few men who remained were bringing their stock carts forward and hitching them to the back of horses. Women were rushing from tent to tent, bringing all with them that they could carry. The children were being loaded into the two armored carts as their tearful mothers looked on.

One of the guards came forward, out of breath as she spoke, "There have been no sightings of Orc since we cleared the path, my Lady."

But Mauve would not be deceived. "They are out there," she said with a sigh. "As it is, will you help and assist the others?"

"Yes," the woman said with a slight bow of her head as she disappeared into the nearest tent.

Four younger women came out, carrying between them a sack of grain. Another group appeared with a large flat vat of vegetables. They were carefully separating the different foods and distributing them between the carts to ensure that if one was taken out, the others would not starve to death during this next journey.

There was no mistaking the flutter of excitement that swept through the encampment. After so many years they were finally getting the second opportunity to take the journey home. Many of the elders spoke vividly of the stories of the glamour they would soon see. The children would finally receive a proper education, they said wistfully, speaking of the days of old. There would be a herald of trumpets to welcome them home through gates made of iron and stone. They would be greeted by their King and formally given back their lives, the lives their ancestors had left behind three hundred years and more before.

A few days before, two messengers had ridden into their village, speaking of their Lady's will to prepare for the journey into the west. Since that time, the people had been working tirelessly to do her bidding. They also spoke of a battle that would occur once the Orcs realized they were losing their prey. Although Buffy had been the focus of their attention for years now, not one of them could resist the temptation of hundreds of people moving easily through the forest with little protection.

Mauve knew not what Buffy had planned for this. She would surely gather her Amazons for their last fight before leaving the forest.

Ducking away from her watch, Mauve entered the tent and moved towards Buffy's suite. It was a small room high in the trees. She had few precious possessions, but amongst them were her sword and a large wooden box, antique in its own right, that Edrae had given her many years before.

Stooping, Mauve pulled out the box and stared at the contents inside. Smiling, she took the box and walked out onto the terrace, her hand moving to the wooden post as she gazed at the people moving quickly below.

In the distance, she could hear the sounds of a familiar, low horn. Her smile grew as she made her way down to the ground. From between the brambles, she could see many horses moving forward, led by their Lady. Many people stopped what they were doing and gave cries of welcome, for she had not been seen since before her abduction. Many of the elders looked relieved as Buffy gracefully dismounted her steed and handed it off, brushing the dirt from her hands. She smiled as her people surrounded her, gazing upon her with both adoration and respect. Siri soon appeared behind her, watching the fascination on her people's faces as they gazed at their leader. Buffy appeared uncomfortable, however, and this was something Daire picked up on, as she pulled Buffy aside and allowed Siri to step forward.

"We will leave at sundown tomorrow," Siri said, stepping into the circle and speaking loud enough to arouse the attention of those still working. "Take only what you need and only what you can carry. All of our forces will be spread to protect our people." She glanced over and saw Mauve standing there, looking both distrustful and suspicious. Siri knew she had a reason to be. Mauve had done the right thing to allow the Elves to take Buffy before their King. Although they really hadn't accomplished anything solid, there was a loose treaty with the mightier creatures that would enable their people to safely cross the narrow plains without interference from the Elves.

Buffy stepped forward then, clapping her hands together. "All Amazons, come with me. We have a lot to go over before tomorrow. I have a game plan in mind, but only with all of your cooperation will we even get close to seeing it through. Ladies?" She held out her arm and gestured for the others to come, and slowly the warrior women moved to the other end of the village and Buffy, lowering her arm, followed behind.

Siri stood in place, watching as Buffy disappeared through the underbrush. Mauve, too, had not taken her position behind her captain and kept her gaze on Siri. At last, she turned to move away.

"Do not go," Siri said, seemingly shaking herself from her stupor. "I apologize for my harsh actions against you, Mauve. You were only serving our Lady as her lieutenant and thought in your own discretion what would be best for her. Now things have changed." She gazed directly at Mauve. "Her role in our lives has changed."

"How so?" Mauve asked in a calm tone.

"She will remain behind," Siri said, glancing down at the ground. "She will not accompany us on our journey."

"What say you?" Mauve gasped, bringing her hand to her lips as she swung about, staring off for the small blonde head bobbing up and down in the thicket meters away. "Do not tell me…"

"She is not betrothed to the Elven prince, if that is what you thought," Siri said, coming up beside her. "No, she has made a pact with the King of Mirkwood and she has agreed to remain behind."

"What will we gain in return?" Mauve asked suspiciously. Like Siri, she was not about to trust the Elves so blindly as their leader apparently had.

"Our freedom," Siri said, giving the older woman a callous half-smile. "Seems like a fitting end, does it not? Our Lady will remain trapped in this forest for the rest of her existence while we return home to the glory that awaits us."

"Freedom," Mauve said, a smile breaking out across her face. "It is such a small word for such an amazing gift."

"It is no gift," Siri sighed, crossing her arms. "We must take it in order to achieve it." Seeing that they had been asked to follow Buffy to their gathering, Siri motioned for Mauve to follow her. "Let us go and hear what she must say."

There were hundreds of women gathering around Buffy, most of them seated on the ground and others standing behind them. Buffy was standing before them, looking every bit a general in charge of a great military power.

She had never been very good at speeches, she decided, glancing at each and every one of them. It was time now to make the difference. These women had been forced to fight under her banner since they had been children harkening to defend themselves. Now they fought for her freely, and that in itself wasn't the choice of freedom, it was the choice of survival. She felt distinctly proud of each and every one of them, and she made a mental note to pull them aside individually later and tell them. Otherwise, she would never have that chance again.

"I have asked a lot out of all of you these past few years," she said, watching as Siri and Mauve arrived, hovering in the background. "Every time I see you fight, you defend your people against the oppression of those who would see us extinct. I don't know how I can say how proud of you I really am. We've lost warriors, good and skilled women who have fought for their lives. I'm asking you to put it all on the line to get your people home. This isn't protecting our village from evil. This is fighting to get back what was taken from your ancestors all those years ago."

She turned and saw Daire looking at her. Even as a teenager, she was still beautifully small and innocent, but there was a grave wisdom in her eyes. Buffy knew that since Daire had been raised by a woman who had once been a Slayer had turned her into a war-hardened warrior.

"Tomorrow we're fighting for our freedom," she continued, raising her gaze once more. "Freedom is not just the opportunity to do as we please, and it isn't just the opportunity to choose between the easy roads. There is no easy way to do what we will do. We have made enemies in these woods and most recently, we've made friends. Our freedom is the opportunity to choose what you want and to fight with every last breath in your body for it. Freedom belongs to those that believe in it the most, and the longest. We have been fighting for many years now. I say we're done. We're done fighting the evil that threatens to destroy us. We're done fighting against the Elves, the Orcs and the Rangers. So help me God, we've got our freedom and if I have to destroy every last bit of evil in this world to do it, you will always be free to choose the lives you want."

There was a quiet murmur of determination in their voices now, and many of the women rose to their feet, their hands held out.

Siri stepped forward to stand before her leader.

"You will only be free when we are," she said in a strong voice, trying in vain not to show any emotion to the small woman before her. To her utter amazement, however, Buffy smiled broadly.

"We have always been free, Siri," she said, reaching out to pat her arm a few times before turning to the others. "I have been given my freedom." At this, she cast down her eyes. Not one of them would ever know how free she truly was from the burdens of being a vampire Slayer. In a world without vampires, or at the very least the ones that had pointy teeth and came in large numbers, she had been given the choice to fight for a world she wanted and help defend it, or else live in a world that had both good and evil, both in powerfully large numbers. It had been her meeting with Thranduil that had convinced her that her choice had been for the best, considering she was the most formidable female warrior in these lands.

"I want you to take yours now," she finally concluded, before stepping back. "I want you to know that if you don't want to do what I'm about to ask of you, you don't have to. I believe in each and every one of you. Now, I'm asking you to fight for the protection of our people. There are the old and the very young that can't defend themselves. I'm asking you to do it for them. If you're willing to fight your way out of here at the risk of your lives and the lives of those you love, take one step forward—"

Her voice was cut off as the sound of the ground crunched as every last woman came forward. There were no longer any murmurings. Siri and Mauve were amongst them, and even Daire and her group were in the very front.

"You have given us pride, my Lady," Daire said, bowing her head slightly. "You have shown us your true colors as our leader and captain. We will follow you to the end. You're our sister, our captain and our friend."

"Thank you," Buffy managed to choke out, shaking her head in disbelief at the looks of sheer determination on the faces of those standing before her. "Now, for my plan… this is how it will work…"

x-x-x

Twilight had descended upon their village as many stopped to rest before preparing their journey come the next morning. Siri was resting in her own tent, with Daire sleeping in the cot next to her. Rolling over slightly, she gently pushed her cousin's shoulder. "Daire?" she asked quietly.

"Siri, it is the middle of the night!" Daire moaned, rolling onto her back, her gaze slowly sliding to look at her cousin. "Why can you not wait until morning?"

"I am afraid, Daire," Siri said at last, her eyes glittering as she stared at the younger girl. "We have always wanted the opportunity to journey home, but now that we are…"

"I understand," Daire said, feigning a yawn as she sat up, shaking her head to clear it of slumber. "There are many who would fear what we are about to do. What our lady has intended for us is dangerous at the very least."

"It is, as she called it, a suicide," Siri replied. "She has always been the strongest of us and I know she means us no harm, but if any of us escape what is to come tomorrow's eve, it would be a miracle."

"Perhaps a miracle is what brought our lady to us," Daire said, lowering herself back onto her coverings and turning over to face her cousin. "She has brought us no harm, Siri. Now she will be trapped within the forest."

Siri's mind flashed back on their conversation the previous morning during their travels to the south.

_"You know why I must remain behind," Buffy said, steadying her horse under the intense pressure of moving at a very rapid pace through the thickest part of the forest under the cover of daylight. _

_"You only do as the witch-King asks," Siri had spat bitterly, keeping her gaze carefully averted._

_"It would do you right not to use that term, as it is the Witch-King who wishes to make me like him," Buffy had retorted. "The Nazgûl are unforgiving, Siri. They will take me again and I would have been used against you."_

_"What of the Elven prince?" Siri had asked, desperate to keep the mocking tone from her voice. "Is it true what the others have said? Are you betrothed to him?"_

_"Uh, no," Buffy replied sarcastically. "If they expect me to betroth myself to anyone, it will be of my choosing and not some King's." She paused a moment. "There are bad things coming, Siri. Very bad things. Many people are going to die in this world and after all the hell you've been through, you do not deserve to be one of them."_

_"What sorts of things are coming?" Siri asked curiously._

_"War," Buffy said quietly. "There is a war coming, and it will be the war to end them all. There are more than just Orcs and the Nazgûl, Siri. There are men, wicked men, who would see the Elves fall. There are few left now, and many have been killed in other great wars over the years." She looked down. "There is a history in this forest that time will never tell. It will be a miracle if Thranduil and his people survive this."_

_"He has asked you to fight for him," Siri realized._

_Buffy nodded. "Yes, he did. And I will fight for him. They need me. You don't. Thus, the story ends."_

_As Buffy had ridden on, Siri had remained behind, lost in her own thoughts._

Siri glanced across from her own cot to see that her cousin had once again fallen asleep. Putting a hand to her face, she quickly brushed aside the tears. She was about to lose the closest thing she knew to a mother all over again and to think of living her life without that pillar of strength drove her to tears. Buffy had forced her to realize that she was no longer able to sustain them and the time had come for Siri's people to care for themselves.

It was a long while before Siri drifted off to sleep. She knew what her role would be the following day and realized she needed the rest.

Above, in the highest tent, Buffy paced the narrow floor anxiously. She had lost count at around two hundred steps but finally forced herself to sit down, only to leap to her feet and walk around again. She was going over every last suggestion, every last contingency plan. She wouldn't be able to sleep even if she forced herself to. She would sleep peacefully once this battle was over. They had to fight their way out of the forests, meaning they had to leave Mirkwood at first light on the following day.

Bending down, she found her silver cross amongst her few possessions. Carefully winding it around her neck, she clasped it shut and stared at her reflection in the flat bowl of rippling water. The fire flickered in odd angles from the water, giving it a glassy surface. She slowly reached down to touch the shimmering surface, wishing in vain she could speak with someone who would tell her it would be all right. She needed to hear it, and she realized she needed to hear it from Thranduil or even Thranduilion. He was the oldest and wisest man she had ever known and in his despair for the coming war, he had gone to the most unlikely person for help. She had accepted with the knowledge that his people would help hers get out of the forest. They could not help the Elves, she realized. She could. She was immortal now, or that is how she saw herself, as one of these Elves.

Her women were only mortal. They had human weakness, as she supposed the Elves had, but their stakes were much higher than the determined journey across a boring set of mountains. Their entire existence in Middle-earth was waiting on the brink of a knife and Buffy refused to leave them now. They hadn't done anything for her as of yet, but that didn't mean she was going to leave them behind. She had always won against the strongest of evils and she considered Sauron and the one Ring to be enough evil for her to choose to fight against. There were many other allies, as Thranduil had told her. There were the Elves to the south, the ones Legolas had said were from Lothlórien. There were the Rangers that had helped to save her life, she realized, including the one that Legolas had called Aragorn. There was Gondor to the south and even Rohan to the southwest. There were many stacked on the side of good but even with such sturdy warriors, none could compare to the everlasting darkness of Sauron.

He was not the ultimate evil either, Thranduil had quietly confided to her. There had been another and with his reign, Morgoth had brought down entire civilizations of Elves and their kindred. Great kings fell under his swift sword and many died. Buffy was eager to learn more about the Elves despite her dislike of history, but to learn about the evil that could bring down entire nations was beguiling.

Ever so slowly, she noticed the red light on the horizon and walked onto her terrace to watch the sun rise. She only hoped that, wherever they were, the Elves were too appreciating the harsh light of day.

x-x-x

The leader of the Nine was atop his throne at Dol Guldur, his eyes spying the deep red lines in the sky prior to the sunrise. Slowly, a smile grew across his ghostly face. With a small flicker of his hand, he motioned for the Orcs under his command to patrol the forest to the north and south. His mind was on attaining the great prize to Sauron, the one that would tip the war in his favor. With her guidance, the one Ring was as good as theirs, and all light would be gone from the world. Forever.

x-x-x

It was late afternoon when the villagers were finally ready to travel to the northwest. The only missing people were the warriors, who had been called off hours before to prepare for the long black night ahead of them.

Unbeknownst to many of them, Siri had taken a small group of women at daybreak to prepare their encampment on the forest road. They were going to make certain that the road was clear of all enemy foes before the rest of their population arrived, looking forward to resting one last night in the Mirkwood before moving onwards. Daire had insisted she go along with her cousin, but Buffy had denied her that privilege, instead keeping the youngest women by her side, preparing them for what would come.

By afternoon, the youngest were gathered at the edge of the village, firing volley after volley of arrows into the trunks of trees to catch their mark. Buffy walked behind them, occasionally pausing to either admire or assist. After an hour of this activity, she had told them to collect their arrows and to prepare the cart carrying the weaponry. The men were briefed next, saying that they alone needed to arm themselves to stand by the elders and the children. The other women looked fearful as they gazed upon their husbands, Alwyn included. She scooped her young son into her arms and held him for a great time before gently setting him in the cart with the other children.

There was another sound as a great arch was placed over the cart. There were two carts with many children inside, and the older children would remain with their families if it were possible. Buffy dispatched the women to dress in camouflage and turned to the people standing under the guidance of Dalios, a young man she had chosen to lead the people into the woods.

"When Mauve returns, she will start out. You will follow her at her signal, but not before. She is to clear the path of all foes before you attempt the road north. Do you understand?"

The man nodded and Buffy pushed him on, watching the last preparations take place. She was starting to feel more unsettled by the minute and sighed.

Inside the various tents were women dressing for battle. They drew on dark trousers and tunics, latching onto their hips sturdy strips of leather to serve as belts to contain their weaponry. Many tied their hair back with another strip of leather before bending down to tie up their boots.

"This time has now come before us," Buffy said to herself as she turned around, gazing at her reflection in her bowl of water as she bent down to wash her face and arms. "The rest of their lives will be decided by our actions tonight and tomorrow." Rising, she wiped her arms and patted her face dry before casting her towel aside. Taking her revered necklace, she put it on her neck before gazing around her room. There was nothing she would really need, she thought. Turning, she left her room for the last time and came onto the terrace.

Below was the scenes of warriors saying goodbye to their families. Many young women were holding onto their fathers and their mothers and their youngest siblings as their families watched tearfully. There was a dark arrow shot into the sky, followed by several flaming darts. That had been Mauve's symbol to move forward, and, at long last, the caravan began to move, cart by cart, into the forest.

Coming down to the ground, she spied many women standing around, some holding pikes and the others bows. "Alwyn, take the others after the carts," she said quietly, watching as the older woman nodded before gathering her own forces and disappearing quickly into the woods, where the sound of the last cart could still be heard, rickety and distinctly wooden. "Daire, you will remain with me."

The last of the horses were awaiting the final group. Quickly mounting her own steed, Buffy turned to signal Daire to do the same as more than thirty young women all mounted their horses, pulling their bows over their back.

"We will take to the rear," Buffy said, riding forward and swinging her arm in mid-air. As the women rode past her into the forest at a slower pace, Buffy turned one last time to gaze at the home she was leaving behind. For a few thousand people, this had been a peaceful escape from the chaos of the attacks of both the dark Elves and the Orcs. For a long while, she had considered this place her home. And now, for the final time, she was leaving it behind. Tipping her head to the lonely village stretching out before her, she silently thanked the powers for protecting her people thus far. They would need every last hope and thought for a quick victory, she realized, coming about. Riding into the woods, she left her first home in Middle-earth behind.

The journey was long and lasted all through the night. Near midnight, they were halted by a small scouting party that the rearguard was quick to disperse. They were no more than a few thousand feet behind the carts and worked to protect the rear.

She had no idea if Siri was safe. Her thoughts kept returning to her foster daughter, worried for her safety. Siri was the strongest woman besides herself and would surely lead these people home with as few casualties as could be dealt. But they had to cross the valley in daylight and come to the mountains in the evening. They had force enough to keep the enemies at bay, but would have to rest during the day and move only at night. That was their only chance to survive what had to be thousands of Orcs in the mountains.

They came upon the corpses of a larger number of Orcs near the middle of the night. Daire and Buffy both dismounted and moved with their torches to stand over their bodies, which had been partially burnt. Several had been beheaded.

"This looked as though it were quite the battle," Daire said, covering her mouth in disgust as she saw a speared pike with several heads of Orc lining the narrow forest path.

"Much better for us to see with," Buffy said darkly, lowering her torch to set the heads aflame. There had been a rigging set so that suddenly the path before them was lit with the flaming heads of their enemy. "This had to be the doing of Siri."

"She has a dark sense of humor," Daire said in an uncomfortable tone as she re-mounted her steed. "Only one with the darkest of thoughts could bring about a torture such as this."

"That's my girl," Buffy said under her breath as she, too, climbed atop her horse and ordered the group to move forward. The light continued only for a few hundred feet before they were once again plunged into darkness, but the darkest part of their path had been lit for them.

There was a small reason of concern, she finally realized, turning to gaze back at the lines of flaming heads behind them. Every Orc within a hundred miles would have seen signs of human civilization. This was not the best news either, especially as she saw the flicker of torches and her ears alone could hear the low bustle of a horn.

She held out her arm and lifted her torch, emitting a loud cry. Immediately, the younger women turned, fearful. "What are you doing?" one of them asked, riding quickly over to pull her arm down.

"If they want a fight, they've got one," Buffy said in a dark tone as she at last pulled her arm down, despite the younger child's attempts to do so. She gestured to the sky, which was brightening from a deep navy to a dark cerulean. "It is near daybreak. They must be near the road now. We have been traveling nearly ten hours." She glanced over and saw the movement in the trees. "Prepare for battle."

Immediately, there was a murmur of concern between all of the younger women. Some, like Daire, looked eager to show off their new skills. Others, however, looked afraid for their lives.

Buffy took the initiative by lifting her bow into her hands and spinning an arrow from the quiver on her back into her opposite hand. Bending down, she lit the tip of the bow from the light of her torch and nodded at Daire to follow suit. Soon, thirty flaming arrows were lifted, aimed to the east where there was more movement in the trees. Glancing down, Buffy saw a few circles of rock and smirked. This part of the path had too been set up by Siri in the instance that they had fallen under attack.

"Fire!" she cried, and instantly thirty flaming arrows rained down upon the Orc hunting party. There were grunts of pain and squeals of recognition.

"Fall back!" Daire ordered her women as they dropped back onto the path several paces, watching as a larger number of Orcs were suddenly coming to path. "Fall back!"

"Go," Buffy said, undercutting Daire's orders. "Take them and get to the road. Tell Siri she knows what to do. Go," she repeated, seeing the skeptical look on Daire's lovely young face. "You must go if you want to live. Go, _now!_"

Daire had no choice but to order the warriors to move away. After a few frenzied minutes of a hard ride, there was the sound of a loud explosion behind them. Many gasped and turned about, their horses neighing and stomping the ground nervously.

"No," Daire said quietly, scanning the smoke furling towards the sky.

"We have our orders," a voice quietly insisted behind her.

"I know," Daire said, blinking away tears. "It is just she risked her life for ours, and I did not wish for that to happen again."

"It has already happened!" the voice said angrily. "We must go. The others are counting on us!"

There was still no trace of Buffy once the others had reached the road. Siri was waiting for them, leaning on her sword and looking surprisingly smug. "Did she find my gifts?" she asked in a bold tone.

"We found them," Daire said darkly, riding up to her cousin. "We found them and they found us."

The look in Siri's eyes changed as she scanned the path behind her cousin. "Where is Buffy?"

"She is apparently not here," Daire said crisply. "Is that not what you wanted? She said that you would know what to do."

Siri gave the path a longing look before shaking herself from her stupor. "We must make for the clearing. You have all been told what you have to do. We do this for the freedom of our people and to escape from the Orcs of this damned forest of the final time." Lifting her sword and spinning it in her hand, she glanced at her cousin. "You know what to do. Bring all you need."

To the others, she shouted out, "Prepare for battle. We leave now."

x-x-x-x

To be continued…

x-x-x-x

In the next part, the battle begins as the darkness unfurls its latest attempt to capture the "sun". I think that is the most obnoxious hint as to why I titled my story as thus.

I hope to post before a month passes by, I will assure you. Aside from needing a bit of beta-reading, this story is nearly completed. I do intend to follow canon in the Buffy series, but considering there really is no canon to follow at this point in Lord of the Rings, I will continue this story for a bit longer. Siri will no longer be in the picture past the next part, except for… already I am giving far too much away! I hope you read and enjoy!


	11. Part XI

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: T, by the newest standards. If you feel that this has been mis-rated, feel free to inform me. I will be happy to discuss it.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years. Therefore, it means that she has been there twenty seven years before the Fellowship. The One Ring has already been uncovered. That should make some sense.

**Gratitudes**: This is part two and three of the three part battle sequence. Most chapters are between seven and nine pages. This one easily pushes fifteen. I am really not a big action-writer and I think that much is evident. I do, however, have an imagination. This chapter does exchange points of view (between the different groups in their different battle scenarios) rather briskly, as in sentence-to-sentence, but I think I finally had it to the point where it made some sense.

**Part Summary**: The Amazons battle against the might of Dol Guldur as the villagers take their leave at last; Siri and Daire prepare to say goodbye to their guardian, who alone will face the greatest evil that nearly destroyed her the first time around.

**Notes:** I decided to double up on this chapter rather than post two separate parts, mainly because I really want this story to be twenty chapters even instead of twenty-two, and I figured it would be a lot better than waiting a few weeks until I finally decided that the chapter you were about to read was worth reading at all. Hence, here is the battle chapter and I hope you enjoy. I have already written most of the other battle chapter I have conceived (around chapter sixteen/seventeen). I will apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I have a very sick little girl at home.

x-x-x-x

**Part XI**

x-x-x-x

The Lord of the Nazgûl was waiting for the others to return. Once he saw their flying creatures circle overhead, he knew what he had feared had come to pass. He turned to his own creature and beckoned it to take flight.

It would have been an ordinary morning except for the darkness lingering near the stronghold. It seemed to spiral, bringing those close to the fortress into a deep feeling of hopelessness, helplessness and despair. The Witch King smiled as his own creature circled the compound once before turning to the northwest.

He knew what she had planned. She couldn't hide it from those who shared her darkness. Despite her best efforts to keep that under her skin, it was only a matter of time before she became like them. Her death had already served one purpose. It would yet again serve another. Once the misfit refugees had left her sights, she would return to the Elves. They had need of a warrior akin to her… yet the Nazgûl knew that alone she was truly a target.

After issuing the order to let the Orcs handle the refugees, he also ordered the others to make certain that the Lady of Shadow was driven away from her people. She could not be allowed to protect them. She would not be able to save them all.

x-x-x

By the time Siri reached the head of the column, all of the carts and trailers were in a long row. Archers had been placed amongst every few carts, already armed and prepared for whatever the darkness of Dol Guldur could unleash. They were more than prepared, Siri thought, shaking her head and sighing. Oh, well. It was far better to be more than prepared than to be caught unawares.

Daire was waiting for her, looking apprehensive atop her steed. Seeing her cousin, she dismounted and set the horse aside. "Is there any way this foolish plan of hers will work?" she asked nervously. The forest was a little too quiet for their tastes. Aside from their single attack en route, the Orcs hadn't put up much of a fight. She was wary that they would attack when they were halfway across the plain, raining down upon the villagers a storm of arrows and flame. That was exactly what Buffy hadn't wanted to happen, which is why she had created the plan she did.

"Do we have any choice?" Siri asked Daire sharply, taking out her own bow and flexing the bowstring threateningly. "The last time we attempted such an escape, many of our people died. She is just trying to correct a mistake from many years ago."

Daire nodded slowly, too young to remember the previous attempt over the plains. "The plan is to set a force across the river and then to safely ensure the others get across?" she asked lightly.

Siri nodded as she handed Daire her own bow and quiver of arrows. "Prepare yourself for battle," she said quietly. "The others will be awaiting your signal. Do not delay for these people are counting on your punctuality."

"Very well," Daire said with a firm nod, slowly turning away from her cousin.

"Daire!" Siri called once her cousin was more than a few paces away. The younger girl turned and smiled, but the feeling between them was mutual. If all went according to plan, they would only sustain a few casualties. But this was a war, Siri knew. There were always fatalities with war. She had learnt this with the loss of her father.

"Do not say goodbye," Daire said, placing her hands on her hips. "Anything you say from now on will sound like a goodbye."

Siri understood what she meant. However, her choice of words was very different from what Daire had wanted to hear.

"Be safe," she cautioned. The smile fell from Daire's face as she slowly bowed her head.

"And you, as well, my cousin," Daire said, before turning and disappearing down the line. Siri let out a stream of pent-up breath and turned to a series of horses now riding up rapidly from the rear. They were led by Alwyn, who sat atop her steed looking magnificent. There were more than thirty behind her and they quickly gathered around Siri awaiting their final orders.

Before Siri could open her mouth, another figure appeared. Alwyn and the others automatically bowed their heads as Buffy stepped up beside Siri, smiling fondly at the women.

"You know what to do," she said to the young lieutenant. "I know that you volunteered for this, but let's try to do this without getting yourselves killed." She paused for a moment. "The archers should be on the outside. The rest of you should prepare the path. Your ancestors say it should lead straight through the mountains to your homeland. Follow it for as far as you can go. If you stray from it, you'll never make it." She turned to Alwyn. "This is the last time I will speak with you and your warriors, Alwyn."

Alwyn bowed her head again. "My lady, it has truly been an honor to serve under you. When you chose me to train, my family considered it the highest of honors."

Buffy gave her a wan smile. "The honor has been all of mine, Alwyn. Now, go," she said, stepping out of the way. "I will send the people soon. The way must be cleared."

Alwyn took a long look at the opening. Beyond the opening laid the sunrise, the plains and the river, sparkling even at this distance. A narrow bridge was still in place. In a greater distance, she could see the mountains stretching majestically towards the Heavens. The path leading to their home country awaited them there. This was a risk that was certainly worth the effort of fighting. The Orcs were likely sitting, awaiting an ambush. It was up to Alwyn to prepare the path on the other end. With a last nod to her leader, she held up her hand.

"Forth! Forth we go!"

Immediately a single horn was blown as more than thirty horses burst out of the opening, the horses rising in speed to a canter over the fields. They had only been riding a few seconds when a piercing cry sounded above them.

"Nazgûl," Alwyn whispered, watching as two creatures circled high above them before heading back to the east, towards the forest.

"Alwyn, we will run out of time!" one of the women screamed from behind her.

"We must ride on!" Alwyn said, and the horses stayed in close formation, the Archers along the sides waiting for the Nazgûl to come within range of their own darts. But the flying creatures didn't return. They had plunged into the trees, their cries silenced. Alwyn knew that this was not welcomed news as their leader was the one being targeted. But she knew that Buffy was strong enough to handle whatever they had to throw at her.

As the horses of the outer guard splashed their way across the bridge and then the small tributaries leading from the river, a large group of women suddenly appeared on the higher rocks overlooking the clearing. Camouflaged by the paint they wore upon their bodies, they appeared suddenly in a long line. Behind them they tugged along their own machines of war, small turrets to cast out flaming balls of twine and rock. As they had little to do, they stood in wait. Many of the women pulled out two long, curving knives from the leather strapped to their waists and laid them at their feet, ready to use them when the time came. Others still took to the sheltered rocks, awaiting the signs of movement from the trees. They could clearly see their leader far below shouting out orders as the first of the villagers approached the opening. In the distance, they could see Alwyn and the others approaching the Anduin. They had nearly a half-day ride to the other side, which would slow the progress significantly, but they needed to cross the narrow vale in time to defend the first carts.

Buffy stood below with Siri, who looked slightly apprehensive as she stared out across the Vales of the Anduin. "This is really the end of our lives in this forest," she said quietly, glancing to Buffy as she always did when she was about to do something which scared her from her wits. Buffy nodded firmly.

"Yes, it is," Buffy agreed. "Your life is about to change, Siri. I don't know if it's going to be for better or for worse, but you deserve better than what I've been able to give you. You deserve freedom. It's time for you to go home."

"What of you?" Siri demanded. "Are you not home as well?"

"My home is wherever the war is being fought," Buffy said in a heavy voice. "There isn't much time for me to think about what comes next. I have to worry about what's coming now. They will not let us leave freely."

"With all due respect," Siri replied, "I think they fear you leaving. If you were to leave this forest, then they would lose you. Sauron fears your powers and thus wants them for himself. You have told me this."

"That is the reason why I cannot go with you," Buffy said, smiling at the younger woman. "You really do have a good head on your shoulders, Siri. If your parents were alive today, I think they'd be rather proud of you."

"My mother was right," Siri said, trying in vain to keep the sigh from her tone, "to name you as her successor. I would not have been able to keep our people alive for as long as you have. What you created here has become more than just a forest, but a home. Our ancestors spoke of a grand palace with trumpets and banners to welcome our return. I do not know how our people would respond to such a life."

"You'll adjust," Buffy said dryly. "You've done pretty well for yourself. You've gone from being a Princedom guarded by knights to being a people guarded by women."

"You have always said that women alone have the power to make a difference in the lives of all," Siri said. "You spoke of women that do not have weakness. They have strength and you have given it to us."

"I have only given you what you have earned," Buffy said, shrugging. "There really wasn't anything more."

Siri glanced at her for a moment before replying. "Will we never meet again?"

"I don't think so," Buffy said, staring out at the opening. She seemed to be steeling her nerves for some large revelation she knew that she had to divulge before they were parted forever. "You're going home and I'm staying here. There really isn't any reason to travel back to these woods unless you want to die."

"I understand," Siri replied, bowing her head quickly. Buffy watched her for a moment before turning to the nearest cart and removing an old, bronze box. Brushing the dirt from the top, she pried it open. Inside laid the crown once worn by the wife of the Prince of these people. Passed on through the generations, it had gone to Edrae and now, finally, it would be passed along to her remaining child.

"This once belonged to your mother," Buffy said, holding up the piece of jewelry. It was very old and carried something associated with power and prestige with it, something these people infrequently had. "I remember when I first met her. She was wearing this and she decreed that I was a spy for the dark Elves that had become their enemies and that I was to be put to death. Within twelve hours, she was thanking me for saving your brother's life."

She slowly turned and handed it to Siri. Her fingers trembling, Siri took the crown and held it to the early morning light.

"She gave me her power so that one day I would pass it onto you," Buffy said quietly, watching as Siri held the trinket in absolute disbelief. "I promised her that I would take care of you. It's the same thing I promised to Daire's parents before they died. Now I want you to make me a promise."

"What sort of promise can I give you?" Siri asked, at last setting the crown back within its box and sealing it. "In case you have not noticed, we are about to flee for our lives out there."

"Just promise me that you'll try to get these people home," she said earnestly, taking Siri by the shoulders. The taller woman looked astounded, but nodded nevertheless.

"I will do what I can to get my people home," she said firmly.

Buffy gave her a small smile. "I think this is what a parent feels like when her child goes off to college," she said, sniffling slightly.

"When a child goes where?" Siri asked in confusion.

Buffy waved aside the explanation with an impatient flicker of her hand. "Never mind… it's just boring speak anyway." She paused for a moment before stepping away. "You have to protect them. You have to nourish them. The enemy is going to be pushing you and you alone can lead them. Don't be afraid to lead them. Their lives are now in your hands."

"Buffy," Siri said, taking a step towards her. But Buffy sidestepped her easily and backed away.

"You must go," she said, gesturing out towards the clearing. "Alwyn and the others have likely crossed the river. The sun is nearly in mid-sky."

"Buffy…" Siri continued, not really knowing what to say. They had spent years in animosity, arguing over one aspect of leadership or another. Buffy had always been the strong one despite setbacks and fallbacks that led to the deaths of many. Yet she always remained steadfast and level-headed during the most trying of times and that was something Siri would always respect her for. She had come to see Buffy as the one who could lead these people home. She never once considered herself to be a leader. Mauve, perhaps, as she had served under Buffy the longest would have been a more suitable choice. But never had she once considered herself. Edrae had asked Buffy to look after her one surviving child and Buffy had done it to the best of her ability. She had once said that she had never wanted a child for herself, but Siri was someone she could be proud of. That much was evident as Buffy watched her even now, a distinct hint of pride flashing in her eyes.

"I know I told you I never wanted children," Buffy said, watching as Siri's arms dropped. "But if I ever had one, I imagine she'd be like you. She'd be strong, resourceful, argumentative as all hell, but in the end… she'd be my daughter."

"You are the only mother I have known for some time," Siri agreed.

"I'm proud of you, Siri," Buffy said simply. "I know you can do this. I _want _you to do this. You're the strongest one. You have to lead them. Get them home where you belong. I'll take care of things here." She stopped for a moment before beaming. "Who knows, maybe someday our paths will cross again."

"I would like that very much," Siri said, bowing her head one last time. "As Alwyn said, it has been an honor to serve you, my Lady."

Buffy stepped forward and clasped Siri's shoulder. "The honor has been nearly all mine, Siri. Now, I want you to do what I asked you to do. Start sending these people out of here."

"What about you, Buffy?" Siri asked, drawing her aside. "Will you be safe?"

Buffy wasn't certain on how to answer Siri's question. She knew she wouldn't exactly be safe but her life was certainly in no danger. The Nazgûl wanted to take her alive and she was going to make it impossible for them to take her alive – even if she had to die again.

"I'll be okay," she said, although Siri didn't look too convinced. "Don't worry about me," she said in a softer tone of voice. "Worry about them. Get them home."

Turning, she gave out one last order before taking her horse. Mounting her mare, she turned one last time to gaze upon the hundreds of faces peering up at her. The elderly were crouched within their wagons, staring out at her with varying degrees of concern on their faces. Most had seen more than their fair share of battles and death. The lines in their faces were evident of that. Many kept their eyes cast downwards, as though believing they would never see the end to such an arduous journey. Upon eye contact, many waved goodbye, including the women who had once served in the Council. Few men remained and yet they came forward as one group, stooped and old, their hands and bodies weathered with age.

"You have served us well, my Lady," the lead man spoke, bowing his head respectfully. The others quickly followed suit. "We have prepared a gift for you."

Two of the smaller boys came out, carrying with them the most beautiful sword she had yet seen.

"This belonged to the King," one of them said, smiling as Buffy took it in her hands. "He would have wanted his successor to carry it."

"Then it wouldn't be my sword," she said quickly, turning to call for Siri once again. "It would belong to—"

"You have spent many years defending our lives with the lives of your Amazons," one of the elderly man said, taking her hand with a gnarled, wrinkled hand. "You have earned this honor, my Lady. One day, when our people meet again, we will do this the proper way. We will not live to see the end of this war you have spoken of," he continued, his gaze faraway as he remembered his own vicious battles, his own bitter defeats. "There will come a time when we will pay you a great honor for saving our lives as you have."

Buffy sheathed the sword and smiled at them as they returned to the lead cart. "Thank you."

Her eyes then turned to the children, attended to by the few women she hadn't chosen to be within her ranks of warriors. Many of them barely knew her name yet had been taught by their elders to respect her on borderline reverence. Even now they gazed at her with adoration. She knew better than to expect them to praise her for anything. She was a killer, someone who thrived on the death of the enemy. To have that respected by children too young to understand their own beliefs was asking a bit too much. She knew that her memory would someday fade from their memory and she looked forward to the day when they would forget her name. The older ones might remember her as the person who saved them from the Orcs. Hopefully by the time they returned home, there would no longer be any Orcs to hurt them.

Her gaze continued, seeking one face after another. They were unfamiliar to her considering she hadn't taken the time to get to know everyone better. Why hadn't she taken the time? She knew she did not belong with them, but they were still under her protective care. At last, she turned her horse about, staring at Siri as she prepared for the others to leave. She nodded once to the woman, who returned her nod. And then, giving her people one final smile, she disappeared into the woods.

In the deep darkness, another line of women appeared. They were carrying the longbow with their poisoned darts. They quickly took position amongst the tree trunks, their eyes scanning the great beyond. In the vast opening, they could see Alwyn and the others leaving the Anduin and continuing onwards. Siri would soon send the first carts into the daylight. It was nearing afternoon and they had to move these carts before nighttime came.

That was the reason why these women remained where they were. Come dusk, the Orcs would have free reign to attack. These women knew that not everyone could be saved. They wished they had the support of the Elves or the Rangers, but knew that they were alone in this battle.

One by one, the carts rolled out into the plains. Some were pulled by horses or the smaller cattle and others yet by the stronger of the men. Before long, they were stretching out to the first of the streams as the sun bent down to mid-afternoon. They only had a few precious hours left.

Across the river, Alwyn and the others had met the first signs of resistance. The old burial grounds of the battle many years previous were still evident by the scorched earth and the many rocks piled over a long row of what had to be more than one hundred bodies. All of the women silently paused to pay respects to the dead before continuing on. They still had a long road before them and they knew it was all going to go downhill from there.

x-x-x

More than four hundred Amazons had been spread amongst the carts. More than half had been sent from the forest now, carrying over five hundred villagers into the vale. Very few had reached the river and yet were awaiting the opportunity to cross the old bridge, crumbling and decrepit.

Darkness was falling swiftly and the guards were carefully setting up around the population. The women and children were gathered into a tight circle, with the carts and horses strung in large circles outside the encampment. The guards carefully wove their way amongst the different levels, their eyes watching, waiting.

There were still nearly a dozen carts rolling out of the forest. They would reach the river by midnight at their speed. They were far lighter and carried supplies. Buffy had engineered this so that if these carts were to come under attack, no lives would be lost.

In the distance, from the trees, the people in the plains could hear the loud cries of the wild. Torch lights dotted the horizon. Many looked on in fear, unable to sleep or even rest under the knowledge that the Orcs were standing at the edge of the forest.

Moving through the crowds, Siri glared out at the lights, her arms folded. Her jaw was set now as she turned to gaze at the children behind her. "Get ready," she said quickly. The other Amazons quickly rushed to do her will.

In the trees, Buffy stood poised on the highest branch she could find. Below her was a long line of women, standing in wait. Leaping down from her place in the treetops, she ran forward lightly over the moss-covered stone to stand with the other women.

"I know not what they are waiting for," Mauve said uneasily.

"They are waiting for their command to attack," Buffy said, staring coldly out into the darkness. "It is a call I intend to give them."

"That you… my Lady?" Mauve asked in disbelief. "What are your intentions?"

"I am tired of running from these bastards," Buffy growled. "If they're going to kill us, they're going to do it on my terms." She turned and flashed a smile at her startled lieutenant. "Just be ready."

"Yes, Buffy," Mauve said, quickly turning to pass the order down the line. Buffy walked forward to the edge of the cliff. There were small tendrils of smoke curling from the encampments. Far below, near the outer edges of the woods, she could hear the grunts and moans of the Orcs lining into battalions. Even from this angle, she could see their archers gathering together at the head of their lines. Lifting her head, she summoned all of her strength, knowing she was about to paint her own end, she screeched loudly into the night.

In the air, many miles to the south, two winged creatures turned at the command. They knew it was not one of their own. But they knew that the one who had called was one that would surely become one.

Immediately, the air beneath her silenced. She heard the women behind her murmuring in horror at Buffy's actions. She took another breath and drew out her sword. At the second cry, the Orcs below her charged forward.

They ran out with great speed and agility, many of them atop the backs of some dark creatures, black in nature and appearing to look more like wolves.

She spun and came about quickly leapt back onto the rocks. "Let Siri handle these," she said quietly. "There are worse things than just Orcs in these woods." Turning, she dropped from the cliff and disappeared from sight. They had only just registered what was happening far below them when a loud cry sounded above their heads.

"They are here," Mauve whispered.

The black creature snarled as it swooped down. Many of the women dropped to their stomachs as the creature passed directly overhead, the tips of its great wings knocking into the tallest trees. The Nazgûl gave a second, punishing cry, but it did not see what it was looking for.

It was only when two more winged creatures shot out did Mauve see a single figure on horseback riding out alone across the plain.

"What? What does she hope to accomplish?" the women murmured. Mauve found herself smiling a silly half smile. They only had a second to appreciate the silence, however, as the next line of dark creatures began to emerge from far below.

Siri was ready for the long line of enemy wolves that was fast approaching from the east. She turned to the more than one hundred women on horseback. Most of them carried pikes or swords, and they all turned to her, grim-faced and breathless with the anticipation of making their new leader proud.

"Forth!" she shouted out, and soon the ground trembled under the combined assaults from hundreds of horses on one end and the trampling of the feet of wolves on the other.

The ride did not last as long as she had anticipated. All too soon, the two groups clashed. The women in the lead quickly reared arrows, but were far too slow. The Orc archers had been far more prepared and easily shot down the first line of women, their horses tumbling over.

Siri's line was second. As her horse neatly careened around a fallen steed, she lifted her sword and sliced upwards, keenly splitting open the throat of an offending wolf. Once her sword had been whet against the throat of the rather oversized foe, she drove her sword into the chest of the Orc. All around her, the horses were neatly taking down the wolves, one by one. Of course, they had their own wounded. It soon became apparent how vastly outnumbered they were and, to make matters worse, there was a high-pitched scream far above their heads.

"Nazgûl," one of the women whispered.

"Let it come," Siri grunted, pulling out her sword and kicking aside the dead wolf she had just finished slashing into. "I am not afraid of them!"

There was a hard lurch as Siri and the woman next to her were knocked from their horses. Siri rolled out from under one assault to find herself in the line of fire for a second. She quickly flipped to her feet and lifted a fallen pike, throwing it at one of the wolves making a complete beeline for her. It easily darted her misaimed parry and she quickly scampered, leaping over her fallen horse. She had just managed another step when she heard a voice cry her name. In a second, she caught a sword and swung it nearly in her hands. Gently nudging it to her forehead, she watched as the creature came. Seconds before its poisonous teeth could sink into her flesh, she drove her sword deep into its throat. Ducking a retaliatory blow from the Orc atop its back, she swung the sword around again, knocking the Orc neatly from his pedestal. Once on the ground, she unleashed her own assault, driving the Orc feverishly into the ground until one of her own women pulled her back. Thoroughly convinced this Orc was dead, both women nodded at one another before throwing themselves back into battle.

A second line of wolf fighters was approaching. These were not archers as they were scouts, but their pikes flew with deadly accuracy, knocking over three steeds in their first frontal attack. More than half of the women had lost their horses and knew that this fight was only beginning. Lifting her sword, Siri ran towards one of her first prey, diving to the right as one leapt at her. As it doubled back, she slashed out, taking it down at the knees. The creature bellowed as the Orc thrust forward with his pike. She felt it graze into her shoulder but refused to cry out. Using the momentum, she forced the pike out of her skin and lifted it sharply, throwing the Orc off of the fallen creature. Now on its feet, it drew a sword and quickly moved towards her. She lifted her own, feeling her shoulder sting angrily. Her body was beginning to wear down and even at this distance, she could see yet another line as they rapidly approached.

There was a grinding clash of metal on metal as Siri fought with her foe. Her body was exhausted now, even after such little fighting. She was never as capable as Buffy was when sustaining such a persistent attack. But she had to hold on. They all had to hold on.

She leapt over the dancing blade and kicked out, catching the side of the hideous creature as it went spinning in another direction. Righting her own balance, she waited for its next attack, knowing that it must tire soon if it kept swinging first. But she soon learned that Orcs had been trained to never grow tired or else never show their weakness. Nevertheless, she kept blocking his blows with her sword and half of a saddle she'd managed to procure. At last, when her foe seemed out of breath, he threw his sword at her and she easily dodged it. Tossing the saddle at him, it hit him in the chest. With a snarl, he glanced up just as a shining silver blade swept across his neck. His snarling skull bounced neatly away, rolling to rest in the long grasses, the eyes endlessly mocking the night.

Siri glanced up to see a figure on horseback above her. She was leading with her a second horse. "Come, Siri," the woman ordered, and Siri quickly took the horse.

Once they had managed to gather all of the women together again, Siri was stunned to learn that they had only lost a fifth of their forces. There were bodies scattered everywhere on the field. There was the rotting stench of Orc blood mingled with the sweet caress of human blood, as well. Horses and wolves alike were strewn like chess pieces on the grasses, seemingly innocent despite their tragic endings as unyielding slaves to such massacre.

In the distance, there was another wave of Orc riders approaching and, behind them, the main fleet of Orcs on foot. They had been making battle with these creatures now for over an hour. Behind them, the encampments had emptied as Alwyn and the other women made sure that the carts crossed the river and carried the eldest men, the women and the children safely across to the other side.

Back in the woods though, a new threat was bursting through the trees with such speed that Mauve felt her eyes widen. They were much larger than the Orcs that had been seen. They were carrying large clubs wielded with iron and stone. Slowly, she sank to her knees, touching a long patch of oil with her small torch. Immediately, a long line of flame erupted, burning only long enough for the women to bend down and light their arrows aflame. They held their arrows steady until Mauve lifted her elbow, aiming towards the Heavens. The other women followed suit and at her cry of "Now", the arrows were released.

Dozens upon dozens of flaming arrows rained down upon the half-Trolls. Many of their sharp points had been enhanced with poisoned darts, a parting gift from the Elves of Mirkwood.

"Again!" Mauve shouted, and they quickly repeated their motions. More than half of the large, lethal creatures were now growling in protest of the nuisance arrows flying at them from above. It was only a matter of time before an entire battalion of Orcs was sent to take care of the rather annoying threat.

On the forest floor, a branch was suddenly pushed away as another group of women waited, holding their bows in one hand and their long, curved swords in another. Fearing they would be detected at any moment, they sank back into the shadows.

Mauve's group had already unleashed at least five rounds before picking up a sixth. While they were far from running out of arrows, the trollish creatures were now running as fast as they could towards Siri's ground and she knew that Siri would not have the firepower to hold off such an attack, especially after three rounds with Orcs and a rather large wave of regular foot soldiers.

She turned to the others and nodded. They quickly drew back into the woods and drove out the small catapults. One by one, the large cups were rolled back into position before being loaded with large balls of twine and tiny pellets of iron. Buffy had said that they would prove to be effective whilst facing a much larger enemy.

Even over the sounds of the battles far below, Mauve could see that there were still more than half of the carts still waiting to cross the river, although they were moving as quickly as they could. They didn't have much time. Once they were safely across the river, the women would fall back and burn a wall of fire to prevent the Orcs from crossing the Anduin, thus ensuring their escape.

"Mauve, we must fire now," one of the younger women said breathlessly. "They will soon be out of reach."

She turned to one of the machines and quickly lit a torch. Other torches carefully lit the balls of twine. At her command, the turrets were released as dozens of large, fiery balls flew gracefully through the air, landing a few feet either behind or in front of the newest group to emerge. The half-Trolls quickly began doubling back, but by then it was far too late. More flaming arrows rained down upon their heads, along with more balls, which exploded at their feet.

Siri gasped as she heard the first explosion. It sounded as though it had occurred right next to her. The flames began spreading through the dry grasses and some of the horses started to snort and prance rather anxiously.

"Fall back!" she shouted, and immediately the women began to fall back. The main line of Orcs had stopped, and most of the wolves, despite their harsh training, had taken off running wildly when the explosions had sounded, throwing their masters from their backs and hurrying to escape back to the woods, where they were privileged to meet a grim end at the hand of hundreds of flaming arrows still raining from the sky.

Far to the south, a horse still rode triumphantly leading four of the winged creatures away from the flight. As soon as she realized that they were far enough away, she cut to the west and quickly hurried back into the woods. She was heading straight for Dol Guldur. One cry later and she knew that they were right above her. They wouldn't risk hurting her. She was far too valuable to them.

Almost as though she knew something was amiss, she halted and retreated to the edge of the woods. Miles ahead, she saw the faint line of smoke and haze, stained red from flames. There was a beating of the great wings above her head and she ducked, nearly missing the tipped end of the winged creature's wing. Without taking a second to consider the consequences, she drove hard to the north, praying she would arrive in time.

x-x-x

The only problem with firing under the cover of darkness was the fact that they were now easily visible to the enemy because of the fire spread at their feet and the sounds of their small war machines throwing large balls of flame into the sky.

The silent order was given as the Orcs quickly turned to figure a way to reach the precipice above. Their poisoned darts seemed to glance harmlessly off of the rocks and even when they threw those, the pebbles merely bounced and landed. Mauve was so preoccupied with trying to keep the distant enemy away from the fleeing villagers that she didn't realize something was amiss until she heard a loud "Lieutenant!"

She turned just in time to see the first body drop at her feet. Her throat had been violently slashed and her eyes were open, staring into a dark abyss that seemed to await them.

These women standing with Mauve were among the best trained. Immediately they went for their swords and turned to face Orcs climbing up ropes onto the embankment. Knowing they had little choice but to defend their own defensive position, Mauve ordered the Amazons to fight.

Hand-to-hand combat was almost easier than firing blindly at an enemy working to execute their race, she thought wryly. However, there were still those ugly beings left and even as they went hither and thither, they were still standing and until they were brought down, they remained a very real threat.

On top of it all, they were going to run out of time.

Across the river, Alwyn and the other women arrived just as the carts did. And yet, as she raised her eyes to scan a fiery horizon, she found that there were now dozens of carts that had been abandoned. The women and children were running in small groups, the fastest easily crossing the bridge. But there was a long line now awaiting the opportunity to cross the bridge. There were loud rackets of explosions behind them and soon chaos began to break.

"Things are starting to fall apart," Alwyn said to her own lieutenant.

"We must get them across," the woman replied, sighing as she watched a large group of people attempt to cross the river on foot.

"No!" Alwyn gasped, quickly dismounting and running to the edge of the stream. "Do not cross the river! It is far too deep and many of you cannot—"

But her words were cut out by the sounds of explosions, the grate of metal-on-metal and the screams of people as they attempted to push their way to safety. It was still hours before dawn, yet they had to hurry. Daylight would come soon and with luck they would be safe again, safe enough to rest but until that time came, they had to be wary and vigilant. Buffy had sacrificed everything to ensure they got across. It was her horse they saw cantering across the plains, the Nazgûl clearly seeking their target overhead.

The women stood by helplessly, watching as the first people on foot reached the edge of the meadow and turned to watch their own countrymen attempt to cross the river. Many men and women quickly threw their possessions aside and took to swimming, but many of the children darted back towards shore, unable to cross the river as they watched the possessions sweep downstream.

There was another scream from the rear of the lines. The large half-troll creatures had crossed the line. They were no longer in danger of being fired upon from Mauve, nor were they able to be apprehended by Siri's forces, which were still dispelling the Orcs. Instead, they were advancing with dangerous speed towards the back of the line of carts.

Never had Alwyn felt as helpless as she did now. She could risk taking her women across the river, but that wouldn't protect these people. They would likely be swept downstream and drown themselves. Calling for Siri would only advise the Orcs to their position and she cared not for that option either. She turned to her second in command, who shrugged, unable to come up with a third option.

There was one thunderous sweep of a large hammer-like object, which sent one of the vacated carts spiraling thirty feet into the air before landing in a heap of twisted wood and metal.

"Siri!" one of the women screamed.

Siri withdrew her blade from the throat of an Orc before following the line of sight of the other women.

"Oh, no," she said under her breath. "We have taken too long!"

Sure enough, they had spotted the half-Troll figures advancing on the bridge. Siri's forces were too far out to save everyone, and she knew that Alwyn would never leave the others behind. Mauve and the others had stopped firing their piercing, exploding balls of fire altogether, meaning that they too must have come under attack.

"What do we do, my Lady?" one of the women asked in a fearful tone.

Siri knew that they did not have the strength to take down the creatures. As she watched helplessly, she saw carts flying through the air. There were screams emanating from the river now. And, just as she turned to head her horse towards the river, she heard screams from behind. There seemed to be little choice left.

From within the brambles, a branch was moved and a pair of dark eyes surveyed the Orcs as they moved up large ropes towards the cliff above their heads.

Several long arrows appeared through the bushes. Aiming carefully through the ropes, they were soundlessly released. The Orcs heard just a small hiss before their support collapsed and they fell back to the earth. Another line of arrows appeared and shot before retreating back into the silent darkness. The Orcs quickly glared around, but saw nothing amiss. Figuring the attack to have come from above, they redoubled their efforts to reach the precipice.

Across the river, Alwyn's forces had taken the oil and were creating the fire line, a line that they would torch to hold back the threat of Dol Guldur. As sobbing women and children rushed past them, the other women escorted them to the encampment near the rocks. They had already found the path into the mountains, and it was less than a full-day's journey. Once all of the people had made it to the camp, they would easily be able to travel to the mountains come daylight and then they would have sufficient strength to allow these weary people to rest at last.

Siri had given the order to move towards the Troll-like figures. They were the most immediate threat. She knew not where Daire was, nor did she have the capacity to think of what troubles her cousin may have now gotten herself into. All she knew was that hundreds of people were in danger of being crushed to death by the large hammers the half-Trolls were wielding.

Many of the Orcs had run off at the explosions but now that they had abated, they were regrouping. Siri only had to watch an arrow pass close to her ear before realizing that they were going to be trapped between two enemies and she knew that they would never cross the river alive at this rate.

Mauve watched as the last Orc fell to her own arrow before she pulled it from the forehead, scanning the poisoned tip.

"The trolls have moved beyond our range," one of the women informed her, sounding concerned. "They are attacking our people who are attempting to cross the river!"

"We seem to have bigger concerns at the moment," another chided softly, lifting her arm to point into the distance. "Look! Fell things move below! There are Orcs!"

"Prepare the catapults for a final assault," Mauve ordered. "Once we have sent them running, we must make for the river."

She heard more grinding of metal and turned to see that a few more Orcs had appeared over the sharp edge of the cliff. Lifting her sword, she turned to the few women lifting the heavy objects and placing them in the cups in order to be fired. "Do not delay!" she shouted. "We need to buy them more time!"

There was a loud grunt below as one man was easily lifted from his feet, his cry cutting off abruptly as he landed in a crumpled heap. Many were willing to bet he had not one solid bone left in his body. But he had been defending his children, who were attempting to swim the river. Alwyn's women had finished pouring the oils and preparing the trap. Moving forward, they had taken a rope and had secured it across the river, allowing for the children to grab onto the rope and allow the others to pull their exhausted bodies to safety.

The half-Trolls had slowed their progress, turning only when they came under fire from a large swath of arrows from Siri's battalion. There were more explosions as more blasts rocketed to the ground, once again scattering the remaining forces of Orcs.

In the distance, there was a faint glimmer of blue along the western horizon. It was nearing dawn.

"Mauve!" one of the women cried, running over to her as Mauve neatly cut down another of the ropes. "We are out of ammunition!"

"Then we will go now!" she said, and quickly ordered the women to do the same. Instead of taking the easy way down into a valley crawling with Orcs and who knew what else, they disappeared into the trees. Mauve stayed long enough to push a barrel towards their exit and threw aside a rope before leaping into the trees.

The Orcs were able to make their way to the top, only to find that it had been abandoned. There were barrels with bows atop, and scattered knives lying on the stone. Their war machines lay abandoned and the Orcs turned to celebrate their victory as even more appeared.

A single figure made her way out of the trees and bent down, taking the rope that had been thrown down the side of the hills. The Orcs had used it to pursue the humans at the top, and they were far too unintelligent to see their error in judgment. Bending down, she took her own torch and carefully lit the end.

The fire worked its way quickly up the oil-laden hemp and the woman quickly ducked, covering her face as a large explosion sounded above their heads. It set off a chain reaction, the other barrels exploding and sending the knives and various blades scattered around them into the air as pellets of iron and powder rained down upon them. Their cries of fury rocked the night and even as the others began to move away from the woods to see what had happened, the branches suddenly moved as a long line of archers appeared.

They fired their blows before stepping aside as a second line took over. Once they had fired their arrows, they got to their knees and a third line stepped in. They continued to repeat the same motion as the bodies soon piled to the point where the Orcs were screeching with frustration.

"It worked," Daire said, lowering her bow at last. "I'll be damned."

The sky above them was now starting to lighten. Turning to the other women, they collected their belongings and quickly took to the trees. The remnants of the enemy that had been unleashed from Dol Guldur began amassing one final strike before being forced to take to the woods again once the sun had risen.

They didn't account for there being more than two hundred enemy warriors rushing towards them, both a mix of men and woman, a combination of both matured fighters and youthful novices. Cries penetrated the night as the archers took aim, easily picking the Orcs off one by one as they attempted to waylay the last departing flight.

On the fiery remains of what had once been their most defensive position, Buffy leapt from the treetops, kicking a burnt shell of a carcass aside and rushing to the edge. Most of the edge had crumbled into the forest below, but what remained gave her an adequate view.

What she saw made her smile.

Closing her eyes, she felt a great wind stir her. Her fair lifted from her neck and blew in the brisk breeze and suddenly, as though turned inside out, it gusted outwards.

Siri, from the opposite side of the river, felt a tear course down her cheek as she observed the first light of day breaching the horizon. Already she could see her cousin and Mauve making their way briskly towards the river. Two women remained behind, eager to set the fires. But even now, the enemy knew that they had failed to annihilate the once-passive people.

The Nazgûl, however, believed that they had allowed a nuisance to return to a home they knew nothing about. Let them go, they had decided. Her people were an aggravation, a starving band of thieves and thugs who knew not of their truest history. They would return home and be destroyed by other means. They were pleasantly surprised, however, at the organization of such an attack against their forces of darkness. The Orcs had been easily thwarted, the half-Trolls fought to the death. Even the spiders and the wargs had been taken down. But they had no idea that there would be no way they would cross the Misty Mountains alive. They had seen the darkness of Orthanc and refused to speak of it.

No… they had the one they wanted well within their grasp.

Buffy watched until she could no longer see the horses or the bodies moving. When they had passed beyond her sight, she turned away, feeling as though the night had gone somewhat according to plan. Lifting the sword, a gift from her people, she took to the trees again. But as she approached her horse, she heard the beating of wings again and knew that the Nazgûl would never rest until she had become their prey.

But at the very least, her people who once considered her their leader were on their way home.

x-x-x-x

In the next part, Buffy begins her solitary life under the watchful eyes of the Mirkwood Elves.

This part was an extra-long section that was basically two wrapped into one. It served as my first battle scene and one that I am rather pleased with. I am excited about my second. I know montages can be a pain in the rear end, but the next part is a time montage covering seven years.

The following chapter should be up next week sometime. I thank you for your patience! Journey's End should be posted by Monday, at the latest. Hopefully.


	12. Part XII

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas. I might as well point out that at this point, it will be _eventual_

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: T, by the new fanfiction standards. There is a little blood and gore, but that is about it. It should be suitable for anyone who has ever read Tolkien or watched the show.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years. To put this into perspective with current ME history, the One Ring has been discovered by Bilbo and Gandalf is currently on his way to Minas Tirith to discover the true origins of Isildur's death. Buffy, meanwhile, is still stuck in Mirkwood with a cranky Thranduil and a bunch of dead shadow men who want to make her one of them. That is basically the story to this point.

**Gratitudes**: I thank you guys for taking the time to read this story. I do not think I would have pushed myself to create it if it hadn't been for support. Except, I likely would have created it though… and when I write stories, they tend to be lumped into long boring sections. Hence, this has actually pushed me into the position to create chapters. For this, I am grateful.

_Mama T – thank you._

_Tommy14 – See, I am good with descriptions but forcing a battle to 'come alive' is still something of a work in progress. Thank you for your comments._

_Gylzgurl_ – _To answer your question, there is no sequel planned at this time. The point being, this happened after her death by the hands of the portal. I will reveal that her friends will resurrect her and I will also tell you that she will know she does not belong in Sunnydale anymore. Her role in Middle-earth is growing rather quickly now that the people who had "held her back" are gone. She will enlist the help of two individuals and they will learn the truth about where she has been. Because of time distortions, Buffy was absent five months from the lives of her friends while she has lived approximately thirty years in Middle-earth. Therefore, she will not necessarily die again, but she does know she serves a greater purpose than belonging in a world that she knows has no balance of power anymore. I hope this made some sense. Of course, I could just give you all of my notes and spoil the crap out of the end… but I will digress. Thank you for your question, though :)_

_Sukera__ – I will try, definitely._

_Sparky24 – Oh, no.__ I could not kill them off quite yet. They will be back before story's end and their fate has not yet been decided._

_Almadynis__ – I hope that this chapter clarified it to some extent. It is because that she is one, dead and second of all she possesses a great power. They do not know that she is a Slayer, but they can sense power. It is part of their greed to accumulate power, so basically she is like a flame drawing the nine Nazgûl moths to her._

_Vampy__, the chosen one – it will be awhile before the next sequence of battles, but until that time, there will be a lot of hard decisions and whatnot. There will be ass kicking, that much I will promise to you._

_Jaguarmoon__ – hey, look, an update. _

**Part Summary**: Buffy faces the Mirkwood alone after the passing of her people.

**Notes:** I am trying to return to a more proper posting schedule. I would like to have this story concluded by summer, which is a few months away. I still have quite a bit of editing to do, but the story is mostly finished. There are sections that I remain unhappy with and I am trying to "fix" them to the best of my abilities. This chapter contains a sequence of montages. I really try to get away from doing these, but they are part of the master plan. I also will reveal now that Buffy will not "be around" for the forging of the Fellowship or their journey to destroy the great Ring of power. I will not reveal all of the details, but I will tell you that she will see Minas Tirith with a King restored to the throne.

x-x-x-x

**Part XII**

x-x-x-x

The twilight was still high above them as the hunting party spread out. They had been given reports that the one known as Buffy had been last seen in this area from the previous night's patrol, but these Orcs were taking no chances. Their hunting raids had a habitually high probability of disappearing from the face of Arda whenever her name was mentioned. Considering that she was alone one woman and that her pesky band of brats was no longer holding her back, her full potential could be reached. The lead Orc lifted his hand and motioned for the others to use caution. Their hunting raids were usually set out to find Elven flesh but on this particular night, they had a deep craving for the flesh of this nuisance.

Far above them in the treetops, the woman in question had just been settling back to sleep. She was weary after many long and tedious months protecting her small area from the likes of the Orcs. They seemed to have been gaining a lot of confidence as of late. The distance they covered seemed to swell as of late, especially as they spread towards the north and east. Buffy frowned as she studied the Orcs moving down below. It had to be another 'hunting' party. Normally, they would try to pick off a poor, unsuspecting Elf but they ought to know by now that the Elves completely left this part of the Mirkwood in her care. She'd certainly sent them enough of the message. There were times when only one or two Orcs would return from a party of a few dozen, speaking of the horrors of the Lady of Shadow. Even though she was nearly twenty feet above their heads, they still seemed to sense her presence.

The only reason that they would cover more distance would be if the Elves had retreated further into their own escape. The more Buffy thought about it, the more it concerned her. It had been quite some time since she'd last breeched Elven territory, and she wasn't looking forward to doing so again. She and Thranduil did not really get along that well, even though she had promised her loyalty to him alone. Legolas was still acting a pain in her very sore rear end, attempting to push her into working more with the Elves. But she needed the space and had given them her final decision. As she carried neither a watch nor a calendar, she had no idea how much time had passed. It had to have been considerable, though. She had spent a few months in the realm of the Woodland Elves. She had also spent a great deal of time with the Elves patrolling the northernmost borders of their realm. But she had been here for nearly three times that length in time. If she calculated using the sun as she had been taught by these exterior patrols, she would learn that more than three years had passed since she had last set eyes upon the people of Dunland.

She was shaken from her sleepy reverie by the grunts from below. She shook herself from her stupor and stared down into the darkness, squinting. There were twice as many Orcs in this particular party than were normal. Apparently the lord of Dol Guldur was a bit weary of having her kill all of his hunting parties. She was going to have to act on this, but she knew she was only one person. She could easily dispel half of their number, but the other half would gather reinforcements quickly. This had to be more than a mere hunting party. They were looking for her. She slowly moved into a crouch and leapt down into a lower branch, her eyes sharp and keen. The Orcs didn't see anything nor did they notice the fact that their greatest fear was threatening them from above. She was now a good twelve feet above their heads and gaining ground quickly. Within seconds, the ambush would be on and once again, she would have won out against this threat.

She was within jumping range of this small band when a horn suddenly permeated the night.

She should have known it was a trap.

She managed to pull out her long, slightly-curved sword as she jumped down. This fastidious band had no idea what had hit them by the time she had withdrawn her sword, stepping over their small, oily frames. There was now an answering horn and in the light from between the brambles, she saw flickering fire lights. With a heavy sigh, she turned and leapt back into the trees. She had no choice. She would wait until she found another small number of Orcs before taking them out.

The Orcs stopped when they found a round dozen slain upon the ground. Bending down, the Orc took the face of the fallen and twisted it, grimacing in anger when he saw the cross etched into the bloated skin. Lately, she had been marking her victims with her symbol, a cross. If there was time, sometimes she would add a sun below the cross, but normally it was only the cross. He grunted with disgust as the body fell from his grasp. She was somewhere close. He had taken his eyes off of the front guard for maybe a minute before she had taken his idiocy in stride and had dealt them yet another blow. His anger seemed to subside. The lord of Dol Guldur was forever telling them that they needed to take her alive. It would not make much sense in killing her, they had said. She was extremely powerful in her own right, but they did not have neither the skills nor the firepower to strike her down. She was as they were, alone and bound to the shadows. The Orcs needn't ask what that meant, for the lord had then spoken that she was already dead. She was an immortal being by her own right, a figure forced to fight against a darkness that was so very close to claiming her. Sauron knew of this power and knew that the prize she possessed would bring him great power now that the One Ring had been unearthed. The Nine would soon be recalled to the darkness of Mordor and they wanted someone competent to watch over Dol Guldur. Having a tenth within their shadows would do only that, they surmised. This was partially the reason why Sauron wanted her alive.

Buffy knew all too well the reason why the Nazgûl wanted her. It had something to do with the fact she was dead and somehow reborn into a position of power and prestige, only given this because she had saved a stupid child's life. She had been entrusted with the lives of a few thousand people. She was also in league with the Elves. If they could sway her to their ranks, she would be in a position to eliminate first the Woodland Realm and then the realm of the Lord Celeborn in Lothlórien in one fell swoop.

Lately, it seemed, her allegiance seemed to include the Rangers of the north. There were only a scattered few remaining, but there was one in particular that Buffy seemed to answer to. His name was Strider and he had given his reason for being within the area. While Buffy had spent only a little time with him, she learned enough from him. He had spoken of Gondor where he had served for a time under the Steward. It was also during this time that she came to meet Gandalf the Grey, a dear friend to this Strider.

She was in a great position to eliminate all of their enemies. Should they sway her to their end, she would easily defeat the Rangers and the Wizard. The Elves would take more work, but Dol Guldur had a great stock of evil things, and the forest didn't seem to be any safer. They could always call upon the Orcs from Hithaeglir and Moria. Their swelling numbers could easily defeat the arrogant Elves under Thranduil and in that time, sufficient reinforcements could reach them from Mordor. Alas, the victory would be swift and sound. All that would remain would be two forces of men. They already had the hidden White ally in the west and Gondor was at the mercy of Sauron as it would stand as Denethor was a weak man and his children, though young, remained to be no threat.

Buffy remained high in the trees, seemingly holding her breath until the party had passed on. What she didn't know was that they had achieved their goal; they had discovered that for the past few moons, she had not ventured far from this position. Her thoughts were more focused on the Elves. She worried for these beings, considering they were immortal beings of great power and authority. There had to be a reason why the Orcs could roam so freely. She could not hold back the darkness of Dol Guldur, nor was she entirely sure she wanted to. She didn't altogether trust the Elves and for this reason she knew she had to return once again to their realm. She would rest until sunrise, though. These Orcs had a tendency to run far from the bright light and she was high enough to the sky to feel the warmth of the light. Shifting slightly, she rested her head against the trunk and closed her eyes.

She felt strangely unsettled. Her stomach was growling, as well. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a hot meal. If this was the afterlife, it certainly wasn't a very enjoyable one. Had it really been more than twenty-six years since she'd first arrived? She hardly felt a day over twenty-one. She knew she appeared to be as young as she had when she'd died, as well.

All of these thoughts and more seemed to pass before her mind as she drifted off to sleep. In the distance, to the south, the leader of the Nazgûl raised his head, smiling coldly. Whether she would admit it or not, their fates were intertwined. Not even the purest legacy of the Elves could save her from that. She was as good as theirs.

x-x-x

The realm still looked as beautiful as ever, even as autumn deepened towards winter. The Elves who had been awaiting her signal saw it at last and led her at once into their realm.

Buffy had been passing to the north for some time now, taking a rather erratic route to throw off the Orcs she knew were trailing her. She could pick up that wretched scent from anywhere. The Elves on guard quickly gave her a horse and sent her into the realm along with word that she had come to speak to Thranduil.

Legolas was pleased to see her, as it had been quite some time since he had last seen her. She looked nearly the same as she dismounted gracefully, walking between the hoards of Elves, many who gazed upon her with curiosity. They knew of the animosity between her and their Woodland King, but they also knew of the deep level of respect and the growing friendship between her and their Prince. Legolas met her as she was about to retreat into the cave and took her to the paths.

"It has been some time," he said after a few moments. They were finally alone. He had managed to gesture to the remaining Elves that they should depart. He had need of speaking to this woman in private and knowing that they were being followed would only increase her anxiety all the more. Sure enough, she turned to him, looking confused.

"Yeah, it's been awhile," she said, shaking her head slightly when she saw that they were indeed alone. "Look, we have to talk."

"We do," Legolas confirmed, "but perhaps not for the reasons you have come."

"The Orcs are freely roaming these woods," she said, those firm hazel eyes resting on his. "For awhile, they kept around their fort, but now it looks as though they're going Elf-hunting again. It seems that it took me a bit longer to run into one of your patrols, so that means either the Elves are disappearing faster than the Orcs or else Thranduil is playing cautiously again."

"The reason for our absence lies solely on my Father," Legolas admitted, although by his begrudging nature Buffy could see that Legolas did not wholly agree with his father's actions. "He believes that we must look to our own borders. A war is coming and it will be the greatest of all of the wars, I fear."

"I felt it, too," Buffy said in a low, anxious voice. "Their numbers at Dol Guldur are growing. Your own borders might be in jeopardy. I have held off as many as I could, but there are far too many. I can't keep them away for long." She looked almost apologetic and for this, Legolas was shocked. Did she truly believe that she could hold the entire darkness at bay while the Elves could mount some sort of defense?

Apparently, she did.

"There is another reason," Legolas said after a long pause. "Come with me."

She followed him into the cave and through a catacomb of corridors until they at last reached a room that could only serve as a dungeon. In one corner and muttering pathetically laid a small creature. Buffy's eyes widened as she saw two large, sopping eyes glaring at her in the darkness.

"What is that?" she asked incredulously. She had seen many things in both the woods and in the plains in her many years in this land but never had she seen something like this.

"He calls himself Gollum," Legolas replied. "The name comes from a sound he makes when he swallows, I believe. The Rangers have brought him forth from the forest. He may have been captured and held at Dol Guldur. He is under our protection here."

The creature seemed to want to speak, but only a few loud, rasping noises were emitted. Buffy winced as the creature shook its head and slammed it painfully into the wall.

"What is he after?" she asked, tilting her head as she considered him more carefully.

"His precious," Legolas said darkly. Buffy quickly swung her gaze to meet his.

"This is the creature that came into contact with the Ring?" she asked sharply.

Legolas nodded. There was no need for him to continue. Buffy was a very intelligent woman in her own rights and she quickly deduced that this Gollum had been searching for his Ring, turned up in this forest and was now under watch from the once-powerful realm of the Woodland Elves.

"I need to see Thranduil," she said in her firmest tone yet. "Now."

Legolas nodded and quickly showed her out of the dungeon, taking her to the throne. Thranduil appeared to have aged very little, but there was a glimmer in his eyes, a tragic reminder of the despairing youth he had left behind. The glance disappeared quickly however as Legolas announced Buffy's arrival. "My Lady," Thranduil said, rising quickly to greet her. "It has been over a year since we have last—"

"Cut the crap, Thranduil," she said dryly, stepping away from Legolas and casting a glance at the King's guard. "I stay away because I can't stand you. You really can't blame me." She paused and glanced uncertainly at the guards. Legolas quickly went to dispel them as Thranduil gently gestured towards the gardens. Once the ruler and the former lady were alone, she turned back to face him. "The Orcs are once again roaming freely in your forest," she said quickly. "I thought they were only looking for me, but it appears that you have something of great worth within your grips and knowing that, you've just painted a huge target on your back."

"We know the repercussions of holding such a creature," Thranduil replied swiftly. "Yet he holds no threat to us. He remains only an enigma of what could be the greatest—"

"You don't understand," Buffy said, interrupting him. Her solitude as of late had changed her temperament, it seemed. "If this creature was the one that recovered the Ring since that last guy died, then you have a really big problem on your hands. I know that Dol Guldur is fortifying their area. The Orcs are out again, and their numbers are getting larger. I can't protect this realm."

"I have never asked you to," Thranduil said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "We are a proud race, Buffy. We have existed for thousands of years prior to your birth. If we cannot hold our own Realm, there is little chance that one woman, no matter her worth, could do the same. We have asked for your loyalty to ensure that you would not turn against us and nothing more."

He caught the expression on her face and blanched. If looks could kill, he would have been dead. "You just want to be sure I don't kill you," she said sarcastically. "Well, gee, that's really tempting right now." She paused again before scoffing and walking away. Thranduil sat atop his bench and watched her pace back and forth, her hands twisting as she muttered to herself. At last, she turned to face him. "Do you realize what you've done? You've given them an even bigger reason to hunt for me! I may not be able to protect your precious Realm from a lot of bad things, but you can't protect me from them, either."

"That was never my intention," Thranduil said calmly. "My son, however, had this intention. He believes that keeping you from the Nazgûl would ensure your safety."

Buffy was touched that she had become some sort of twisted liability to Legolas, yet she shrugged it off. "He can't. You and I both know that keeping Gollum here is dangerous. Dol Guldur will attack. And I can't help."

"You would be better protected within this realm, my lady," Thranduil replied. "We may not be able to protect you, but your sword-arm will be of great use to us."

"I have been keeping to the southern borders, staying out of your way," she said scathingly. "I have already pledged my so-called sword-arm to fight for you when the war comes. As far as I can tell, I haven't seen it yet. The war is still out there, just waiting to begin. It will, you know, begin. But I can't be here now. I can't be here when you're so willing to throw the lives of your Elves away for… th-that creature! He will destroy you!"

"It seems," Thranduil said in his damnedest calm tone, "that his intentions were to destroy _you._ It appears that he has succeeded in quelling your fears, Buffy. It would be best for you to rest and allow us to protect you."

"You can't protect me," Buffy said, sadly shaking her head. "You just… you can't."

Thranduil watched as she walked away, but made no move to follow or to call her back. He knew very well that when in this mood it would be best to leave her be. He would leave her condition to his able son, who quickly retreated from his place behind a tall shrub.

"You have heard for yourself her insistence that she cannot help us," Legolas said as he approached his father.

"Her insolence is most aggravating," Thranduil said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head in frustration. "She refuses our assistance and refuses her own skills in our greatest hour of need. Our realm could use her power and her protection during this time."

"She cannot give us either," Legolas confided. "She believes that to do so would spell doom for our Realm and she refuses to put our lives into jeopardy."

"You wished for her allegiance," Thranduil said, casting his son a dark look.

"If she were allied with the Nazgûl, Sauron would have a prize half as worthy as the Ring he created," Legolas said quietly. "She knows the price of her head as she knows the price of her heart."

"Her heart means nothing to me," Thranduil replied. "It may yet hold meaning to you."

Legolas watched as his father drifted back towards his palace before walking towards the bridge. Glancing down to the river shimmering below, he wished fervently that this would soon come to an end. He didn't realize how long he'd been standing there before he felt her presence. He felt her hand on his arm and turned to regard her.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"There is no need to apologize," Legolas said quietly. "My father knows the price on your head and he knows the prize you might entail. He fears for his kingdom and for this, you must return to the woods. Would this not give the Nazgûl cause to chase you from one end to the other?"

"I realize now that they weren't exactly searching for me as they were back when I helped my people escape," she said, removing her hand from his arm. "Now I know why. They were looking for the one that had control of the One Ring." She stopped for a moment as she gazed at the realm beyond them. "The Nazgûl have been recalled to Mordor," she informed him. "I fear that Sauron now knows about Gollum."

"We have not been able to speak with him," Legolas admitted. "He is far incoherent and most of what we can tell is listless babble."

Buffy's face tightened as she stood next to him, her hands twisting. "It's only a matter of time before they get their hands on me, you know," she said in a voice that would suggest to Legolas that she was afraid. Well, wasn't he surprised? Legolas had never seen a trace of fear on this woman except in regards to her own people, but never regarding her own safety.

"There are things in motion now that cannot be undone," Legolas agreed. "There is a great need for you to escape our Realm, but even greater need for your return once the war begins."

Buffy closed her eyes, as though listening to the sounds of song on the wind. "I can feel them," she confessed. "It isn't as strong here as it was before, but they're there. I can't stay here. They'll come soon because they want Gollum. The Nazgûl will soon return to Mordor. And that will leave Dol Guldur in the hands of the Orcs."

"They would rather it be within your hands," Legolas said, realizing where she was going with this. "Do you believe you could deceive them to believe that you are indeed one with them?"

"All I have to do is scream," Buffy said, waving an impatient hand. "The point is, if Dol Guldur is under the control of one loyal to, say, the Elves, Rangers and Wizards of this world, well… they can't exactly attack your realm, Celeborn's realm or anyone else, right?"

"Did you speak of this to my father?" Legolas asked, watching her face carefully for a reaction. He had to hand it to her… she certainly knew how to make an impossible situation seem doubly dire.

"Of course not," she said, almost laughing. "Could you imagine the look he'd give me? _Oh, and by the way Thranduil, I plan on tricking Sauron so that I can have control of the fortress that keeps kicking your ass._ He'd never let me leave."

"Would that be so bad?" Legolas asked her, almost casually.

"I have no problem with it, actually," Buffy admitted. Legolas turned to her, surprise clearly showing in his azure orbs. She never would have thought she could surprise him, but she assumed it had something to do with the fact she willingly acknowledged she'd rather spend time with the Elves. "You have no idea how lonely it is, spending all that time alone."

"I perhaps have some idea," he said quietly. She gave him a smile that said clearly she did not quite believe him. "The time may come when the wars are over and you alone stand victorious over the Nazgûl who claim you as their own."

"It'll be a victory for us both, then," Buffy said, her face brightening.

"It is a victory that would be clear to celebrate," Legolas suggested.

"Oh, yeah," Buffy said. "I can see a few parties coming from that."

For a moment, there was only silence between them.

"It isn't going to be easy though, is it?" she asked uncertainly.

"There is still much we both must do," Legolas replied. "This war could destroy all that is good and pure and beautiful. But you should know that the Elves will fight until the end."

"I had no doubt," Buffy said dryly. "Hell, with you as their Prince, I'm thinking they'll come back from the grave and keep fighting, or else haunt the Orcs so badly that they'll surrender to shadows and thoughts."

Legolas had to admit that he liked this line of thought. Once again, though, it plunged them into silence, but it was one they both seemed comfortable with. They both had their destinies set before them but, for a little while at least, they had the comfort of one another.

x-x-x

Luckily for them, the Orcs didn't dare attack the Elves. They knew they still had numbers far too few for such a prolonged assault. Buffy did keep her word though, promising to surrender herself to the Nazgûl only as a last resort. She had no intentions of becoming a dark shadow thing, however. Her intentions had been clear from the beginning.

What little word she received over the next few years was hampered with word from Strider and the rest of the Rangers. They had called her to a summit.

She had been tracking the movements of the Orcs carefully over the past few years. Their numbers had been growing at an unbelievable rate but it was one that Thranduil yet remained confident his Elvish army could defeat should the need arise. Buffy was more cautious however and she quickly shared her concerns with Legolas. He was acting as liaison now between the King and the former ruler of a broken people. He entrusted her with the most guarded secrets of the Woodland Realm and she confessed to him the dealings of the Nazgûl. Since they had been recalled now to Mordor, the forest seemed silent. The Orcs still went about their hunting parties, but since they had not made one move to remove Buffy to Dol Guldur, she was perfectly happy working at taking down the tiny bands, one by one.

Strider's invitation was beguiling at best. She decided to take it up and during her last visit to the Mirkwood realm, she confided in both King and Prince about this meeting. Legolas offered to ride with her under guard, but she refused, saying that it was far too dangerous for Legolas to ride through the forest even with protection. He referred to her as going through unprotected, but she also declined that, saying she was strong enough to take care of herself. He knew this, but also knew not to push such argument further and this one ceased without violence or bloodshed.

The meeting with Strider and Gandalf went rather smoothly by any other standards. They did not fall under attack once, although she knew that the Orcs were there, beyond the ridge of the tree-line, waiting in pursuit. After realizing that some of Gollum's babble hadn't be as fruitless as originally thought, she quickly made the decision to head straight back towards the Elven realm.

Little did she know that the lord of the Nazgûl had returned. The time for waiting had come to an end. It was time to act now while her defenses were unguarded. He sent four fleets in a rather straight line to the Elvish realm and with the order to extract both the creature and the Slayer. She rode quick, ignoring the warning signs that she was being followed in more than one direction. She knew that haste was most needed because she knew now why the Nazgûl had waited to attack the Elves. She didn't know, however, that she was still a part of their master plan.

As usual, she was welcomed into the realm and was given top priority to see the King. She was the one visiting dignitary that he found most important to see to. When he saw the anxiety on her face this morning, however, his perspective began to change.

"They're coming," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "They're coming and there's nothing you can do to hold them back."

Apparently, he took her words to heart. She had never really misled him. He added more guards and began to secure his position by calling the rear guard from the Lake Town and soon Elvish guards two to three lines in length began to defend the great realm, but Buffy knew that it wouldn't be enough. Years had passed since she had given her first warning about Gollum and though she knew she should have taken his neck as it were, they needed him alive. Legolas had told her this at their last visitation. Gollum was the only one that truly knew the One Ring's location. But now that Gandalf also knew, Gollum was no longer necessary. Once she dined and sat at yet another conference with the King and his advisors, she told them that she had come to execute the creature once and for all. He was a grave liability that could spell the end of the Mirkwood forest. Even the Rangers knew of this, and they were quickly coming to help defend this city, but Thranduil was no fool. He knew now the consequences of holding onto such a creature for so long, but it was under the insistence of his son that they do so.

The mood that night was apprehensive at best. Buffy quickly made for her ready-made room to rest. She was exhausted, that much was certain. She had ridden for nearly five days on no rest and quickly collapsed into her cot, eager to sleep away these worries to face yet another day of possible death and destruction.

She had only been asleep for a few hours when she felt a presence suddenly stir into her sleep. It was comforting; her dreams had turned to agonizing nightmares as once again she dreamt of the death of the former Prince she had served. She opened her eyes to see Legolas standing in her doorway. "Is something wrong?" she asked sleepily.

He shook his head. "I sensed that you wished for another presence," he said calmly.

"You caught me," she said, a small quirky grin alighting her face as she turned onto her back, stretching. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Yes," he said, considering her words. "But I wish to remain here."

That was good enough for her. "It's your neck on the line, Greenleaf," she teased as she rolled over again, her eyes blinking warily up at him. "Did you see your father?"

"He told me everything you have said to him," Legolas replied. "Do you feel our situation is this grave?"

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, her eyebrows rising slightly. "Your father is an idiot if he thinks we're safe here. We've held onto him for too long. The numbers at Dol Guldur have reached the point where they can wipe out this kingdom. The only chance you have is to surrender the creature and likely your King."

"You and I both know that this is not an option," Legolas said firmly.

Her face relaxed as she tried to hold back a gathering yawn. "I know this," she said sternly. "It doesn't matter, anyway. I plan to take Gollum out of here and then I plan to dispose of him. He is no more use to us. As I said before, you are now a target. The last thing I want is for you to get yourself killed over something as pathetic as a creature that used to be a Hobbit."

"You will need to act quickly," Legolas said, arching a fine golden eyebrow in response.

"In the morning," she said, laying a hand over her face. "I need sleep now."

"I will stand watch over you," he offered. She nodded and after a moment returned to a position with her back facing him. "It is the least I can do for your word."

They both knew that there was something else that had passed between them, but neither one had spoken of it until now. "At the first sign of danger, I want you out," she said, half-turning back. "I can't risk your neck as well as my own."

"Our fates are tied together," Legolas replied. "This war will affect us both."

"It doesn't matter," she said firmly. "I don't need you to get killed. And, if you remember correctly, I'm not exactly that killable myself."

"Perhaps not," the Elf murmured, "but your allegiance can be swayed elsewhere. I would hate to consider you an enemy. In fact, that is a decision that I would not be able to live with."

"Neither could I," Buffy admitted, and then turned back and closed her eyes. All at once, it seemed, her troubles seemed to dissipate. At least for tonight, she could rest easily.

x-x-x

It was the sound of screaming which drove her from her dreams. She sat up with a sharp gasp, swinging her gaze to the doorway. Legolas was no longer standing there, so there had to be something going on. There was a distant cry and the sound of thundering steps.

"This is just great," she muttered, throwing herself onto her feet and quickly dressing. Reaching for her armor, she was tugging it into position as she left her room behind. From this locale, she could see a faint line of red smoke on the horizon.

The Orcs had made their move.

"Damn it," she muttered, taking her sword and quickly running amidst the Elves who were standing there, gazing fearfully at the fire-line. The last thing she needed there to be was a panic, but these people were far too trusting in their meager defenses to ever believe their city could fall. Legolas was still nowhere in sight and neither were any of the palace guards, she noted. Something seriously bad must be happening.

She was about to move off into the distance when a strange movement caught her eye. It was a small creature and it was running to the south, away from the screams and the sounds of swords clashing. She glanced to the west and saw the smoke and the silhouettes of Elvish archers fighting against the Orc swordsmen. Making her decision, she dashed to the south, trailing after the hideous creature. Two guards luckily took notice and began to follow her.

"We were about to have him moved to a secure locale so that you would be able to take him, my Lady," one of the guards said quickly as Buffy ran before them.

"Lucky me," she snapped. "You'd better hope I catch him and kill him or there won't be much point to this discussion."

"We must inform the Prince immediately," the other guard said in a low voice.

"Do it."

Buffy continued to run, following the sounds of the creature in its desperate attempt to escape his captors. She had finally come to a clearing and she paused. It was suddenly very still even as she trod on the dead leaves which crunched beneath her boots.

There was a sound on the wind, almost like a whisper. As she turned hither and thither, she caught sight of the creature and made to follow it when suddenly there was an icy blast of air which nearly blew her from her feet. The leaves began to spiral around her and the voice in the wind grew louder. She half-recognized it, and with it came the promise of destruction, for both herself and these beings which had been protecting her.

"Son of a—" she muttered, but she felt a great wrenching pain from her head as the sword fell from her grasp, quickly covered by leaves. Hearing the sounds of Elf-folk approaching, she turned to call out to them, saying she was ensnared in some sort of magical trap. This couldn't be happening now. She had a job to do. She had her destiny. There was a war to fight. She couldn't leave now, not when she had made such an oath…

Legolas had been clearing the last hill as he watched the rest of the guards spread out. Once the Orcs had realized that Gollum and the Slayer had escaped, they had withdrawn from their assault and had gone south to await their newest prizes. Little did they know that the Slayer would soon be taken out of the game once and for all.

He had just come to a clearing when he saw her frame twisting in agony. For a moment, he feared that she had been trapped. He heard her scream once and then again, a distant scream quite unlike her normal scream, like the one the Nazgûl cried. There was a great flash of white and then the scream was cut abruptly off as the wind seemed to fade away. The voice in the wind fell to a distant whisper and the leaves fell harmlessly back to the earth.

But the Slayer was no longer there.

x-x-x-x

The next part is sort of the 'what comes next' part.


	13. Part XIII

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas. I might as well point out that at this point, it will be _eventual_

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: T, by the new fanfiction standards. There is a little blood and gore, but that is about it. It should be suitable for anyone who has ever read Tolkien or watched the show.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. The story is currently twenty years and less before the start of the Fellowship.

**Gratitudes**: The last section was rather depressing. I will even admit it, and I wrote it. But, in the end, things will work out well. I can only tell you of this now, considering right now it looks like I'm out to separate and destroy what fragile relationships Buffy had. Oh, and my apologies for waiting more than a full month to post again. It seemed a foolish decision, but my time has been rather occupied with far more important things than writing.

_Sukera__ – thank you very much._

_DracoandBuffyLover__ – I only did what I did to stop the cliché! Trust me, she will return quickly. As thirty years passed where she was, only five months have passed in Sunnydale. That means that there are six years per month. She will return to see a King return to Minas Tirith. She will return in time to actually fight in the final assault on the Mirkwood forest. I suppose that was a naughty spoiler to pass along, but there will be a happy ending. This is just Buffy's opportunity to see how badly her death affected her friends and how important her new destiny was to her. _

_Almadynis__ – Actually, it was __Willow__'s spell. The only reason I thought to use this now would be for Buffy to not spend the next how many years going through the Fellowship, yadda yadda. I decided to go against the cliché and actually put her back into this world in the end. You'll see what I mean in a few chapters. And she –will– get her happy ending. _

_Marcus aure1ius – I hate to tell you, but the Amazons will return. They have a much larger part in the story, I fear. The only reason why this story will not carry through the great war is because I felt it is a bit too cliché for Buffy to suddenly appear, kick ass and somehow manage to prevent what is such a near disaster from occurring. Buffy was truly immortal, hence a shadow that could have been swayed to join either side. She just happened on the side of good when she was "rescued" by the humans she later took charge of. Buffy will return to Arda once her role in Sunnydale is complete AND once the war is near an end. _

**Part Summary**: The bittersweet aftermath of a tragic spell forces a young Slayer to realize that her destiny has been forced to change, yet again.

**Notes:** The _only _reason I did it this way was to ensure that Buffy would not be forced to toddle along with the Fellowship. Had Buffy been in Middle-earth much longer, she would have been recaptured by the Nazgûl. Not only that, but rescue would have been long in coming. Aragorn and the Rangers by now have been holding watch over the Shire and Dol Guldur has been keeping the Elves in both Lothlórien and Mirkwood on their toes. Considering that the extent of this event would be that Sauron would defeat them all, well… Buffy would be better off back in Sunnydale for the time being. She will return to Arda. It is simply a matter of time. This is a series of shorter Sunnydale-touched chapters we'll be visiting. This entire story is twenty parts long… do enjoy!

x-x-x-x

**Part XIII**

x-x-x-x

The air around her was stifling. It felt as though she were suffocating again. All at once, her senses seemed to rush back, and she felt as though her body was being torn apart by sheer inertia. At last, things seemed to settle as she felt a jarring motion before her eyes opened and she inhaled sharply. Once. Twice. The air was so dank that she felt her lungs protest the dry, dusty air.

All at once, everything seemed wrong. She was still in the forest, awaiting the arrival of the Elves. She just had to be.

Her vision was blurred as she stared upwards. Lifting her hands, she pushed forward, only to come into contact of a hard object about six inches from her face. Blinking, she pushed against it. She tried taking in another breath, but the oxygen wasn't giving inside these close quarters.

Her mind suddenly spun around another possibility: what if she was actually alive? She had not been alive before. She hadn't needed the air before. She had been dead. For some reason, she had shown up in a completely different world at a completely different time devoid of the need to breathe oxygen that she so desperately needed now. She was close to blacking out; the time to escape had come. As her mind tucked away thoughts of Legolas and that wretched Gollum, she pushed forward again, her fists clumsily knocking apart the crudely hewn boards. As she moved, bits of earth and dead things fell into her face, but she made no move to surrender her life again, although the temptation was clearly there. Someone had wanted her out of the way, that much was certain. They had been willing to push her away from those who needed her. Was she that invaluable? Or was she completely and utterly worthless to their cause? She was going to have to kick some asses as soon as she got out of this predicament. And then she was going to have to question why she needed to breathe in the first place.

It was a long crawl from the cold box through the moist earth. When she finally broke through the surface, she took a deep, shuddering breath that left her body exhausted and trembling. Collapsing back on the earth, she pulled herself from the hole in the ground before getting carefully to her knees. It was then she realized what she was wearing. It was black and fuzzy, as her vision had yet to clear, but one thing was for certain – she was no longer wearing her beautiful Elvish things. Where those had disappeared to, she did not know, but there would be hell to pay once she discovered who had removed them from her self. They had been her favorite attire for quite some time now.

Something felt oddly different about standing in this place. Everything was darker. The lights were sharper. The air was thicker. It was so much harder to breathe. She felt her breath quickly catch in her throat and forced herself to inhale as she felt woozy once again. She had to keep breathing if she was ever to figure out what was going on.

This had to be a dream of some kind. Or a trick. Saruman's betrayal had been made known to her. Surely he would have had something to do with this. It was his witchcraft, after all, that turned him to the side of darkness and evil. The Nazgûl would have kept her for themselves she knew. She felt a small smile tug on her lips. At least this way her skills would be impossible for Sauron to attain. Unless, she thought, the smile sliding off of her face, this _was _Mordor. Could some trick of light actually have sent her the hundreds of miles to the south into the domain of the enemy?

Was this Hell?

She had to know more. All she had to do was place one foot in front of the next. It was as simple as that. Almost as simple as breathing, she thought to herself dryly. As soon as she saw an Orc, she was going to kill it. There was no way she would bend to the might and will of some ancient moron who thought her better a trophy prize than a worthy adversary. She was devoted to the Elves that she had allied herself to. She wasn't going to give into the darkness now, no matter what they threw at her.

Was that fire? She crept closer, her eyes narrowing against the bright contrast of light. Lifting her hand, she pushed it close and winced as she felt the excruciating heat. She should never have been able to feel it. She was supposed to be dead. Invulnerable, but not invincible. This was definitely not supposed to be happening to her.

She felt the first flutter of panic in a long while as she twisted in a circle, her eyes taking in her surroundings. She couldn't quite see the burning houses yet, but the fires set in tins in the middle of the street were more than apparent to her.

This had to be Sauron's doing. And she was going to make him pay dearly.

She took another step forward, but her foot found the inopportune time to find a solid object and Buffy felt herself tripping over an old kid's bicycle. As she landed, she felt towards her ankle and bristled, moving quickly to stand again. This time, she could see the house maybe a hundred yards before her. There was a man in the doorway, holding a stick and threatening to shoot her if she moved any closer. Well, that obviously wasn't the way to go.

Though the fog was still clinging to her mind, she knew something was wrong. Men in Middle-earth did not carry sticks that could sprout fire. They carried swords that could maim and detach limbs at will. They also did not ride bicycles, but horses and moved about on foot. Something wasn't right and it was becoming more and more apparent to her that she was no longer in Middle-earth.

So then… where was she?

x-x-x

Even as more than a hundred Elves had scanned the area thoroughly, Legolas refused to believe that the woman had just disappeared into thin air. Such a thing was not possible, even for Elves of great wisdom or Wizards of great power. He had even called in a favor to Strider, his Ranger friend from the north, who came as soon as he heard of Legolas' desolate plight. Strider and the few Rangers he had brought along quickly moved along the hill towards the river, but found no signs of evidence that pointed to the Nazgûl's responsibility in this disaster.

Strider was somewhat puzzled by Legolas' persistence that Buffy could not have disappeared on her own.

"You know that she is far capable of more," Strider said quietly as he gently cleaned his face with a rag drawn from the stream. "She has powers we cannot begin to understand."

"I saw it with my own eyes," Legolas replied, his own azure gaze scanning the horizon as though searching _it _for answers. "I do not believe that she would have gone astray."

"She could have gone deeper into the forest," Strider pointed out, gesturing to the wide variety of trees that lay beyond. "She is known for her skill at remaining unseen."

Yet Legolas refused to believe him. Shaking his fair head, he intoned, "She would not abandon my father, whose sole wish was for her allegiance. She is a woman of honor and her word was once held high. For her to leave at such a time would be to break her word and condemn herself as an enemy of the Woodland Realm." As much as he longed to say it, he wished that she would not have abandoned him as well, for he did hold her in highest regards and his feelings for her had been clear in his persistent search. Strider was quite startled to see his friend's reaction to her disappearance and it was perhaps this, more than anything else, that had led him to agree to lend himself and his fellow Rangers to investigate what had happened.

Strider sighed and rose to his feet, tossing the rag back onto the stump at his feet. "You should see that she will not return," he said in what he hoped to be a gentle, yet firm tone. Legolas had the ability to sometimes see things as they were not and felt that at this time he was behaving like so. "If she wishes to be found, she will make her presence known. Until that day comes, we have a creature of darkness to find."

Legolas gave his head the slightest nod. He had a feeling that Thranduil would be much more upset at the loss of Gollum than a certain blonde woman who had yet to reveal her whereabouts. Still, he thought to himself, something was not exactly right. Something was definitely wrong and somehow, he knew he had seen the last of his slayer.

The Ranger and the Elven Prince quickly gathered what forces they had and began the long journey south in the futile search of the creature Gollum. As they continued to move, a solitary figure watched from above, startled at the newest revelation that the Lady of Shadows had departed this world forever.

His Master was not going to be pleased at all. In fact, Sauron would be most angered when he realized his greatest prize had escaped with naught but a scream. They had felt her presence slip away, her darkness ebb to nothing. As strong as she was, she was no longer amongst them. She had departed, perhaps forever.

Turning, the Lord of the Nazgûl fled deeper into the treetops. Far below, the Rangers and Elves moved out of sight.

x-x-x

As her sight continued to return, Buffy found herself wandering around aimlessly. There were the strangest sounds coming from all around her: a horn honking, a gun blasting off, the sound of glass shattering. It was all so foreign to her, she thought miserably as she continued to walk to and fro.

She was starting to feel cold. Breathing was easier now, but every single gasp brought the truth even more painfully closer than she wanted to admit. For the first time in her life, she wished she was back in that forest, where the Elves could befriend her, the Nazgûl could threaten her and the King would continue to mock her.

It was when she heard her own voice did she turn her head. Far off in the distance, her eyes scanned a group of flaming cans and men wearing strange masks standing in a circle around a solitary figure. For a moment, it took her breath away. From this angle, it almost looked like Daire. But the woman was talking with a voice eerily familiar to her own. Her eyes narrowed, as though she were gazing at herself through a crystal ball.

Now Saruman was capable of such tricks, she thought bitterly, forced to watch as an outsider as the figures closed around her. Twelve against one were precarious odds, but anyone that she had trained had been trained to survive. Had this woman had the option, she would have escaped by now. There was the sound of gunning engines as the motorcycles moved.

Enough was enough, she thought, desperation suddenly clouding her better judgment. She had half a mind to reach for her sword, only to feel her empty belt and know it was no longer there. Instead, she found her voice and trusted it enough to scream, "NO!"

But it was far too late. The woman went down in pieces and Buffy felt her voice cut off abruptly short. Finding her own strength was one thing, but watching herself die was something else completely. What she didn't realize was that her voice had caught the attention of the masked attackers. As one turned to her, she felt a shudder rip through her body as she saw that the man's face was not a mask, but some demonic interpretation of something that could only be described as a face.

She took her last option. She ran. She darted amongst the whining machines and twirled and dove beneath swinging arms and chains. Once she was clear, she heard their voices mocking her, but her only thought was to find a nice dark corner and regroup. Her sight was still fuzzy and she needed that above all, as her senses were one of her most important assets. She soon found herself at a wall and easily scaled it, dropping down the other side. It was safer here, she thought, cuddling into the corner and wrapping her cold arms around her trembling body.

She had never wanted to be in Middle-earth more, she thought bitterly, wiping the blood from her lips. Coughing, she dropped her head to her knees and felt the first choke come from within her. Her first words were not of this world, but of the one she had been ripped from, torn from. She belonged there. She was needed there. Surely someone could see that and see that she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Surely someone had to hear her cry, feel the deep torrents of pain that were coursing through her entire being. She wanted ever so desperately to pretend that this was all a dream, but just looking at the loss of her sword was evidence enough that she was not where she wanted to be. A hot tear trickled down her cheek and she quickly brushed it away, already hearing the voices of the Elves as they gently chided her powerful emotions as being her greatest power. They were, along with her senses and her sense of belonging. She belonged there. She didn't know where _here _was.

Before she could even think about what to do next, she heard footsteps approaching and, through the fog, someone was calling her name. Glancing up, her vision had cleared enough to take in a redhead and a brunet, both of them staring at her in disbelief. What exactly was 'the bot' and why were they talking to her as though she were some inanimate object? She was an immortal object, feared and loathed, cherished and forsaken. She was certainly not inanimate!

The brunet reached for her hand, but she pulled sharply away, sending him her fiercest look. He recoiled, a look of startled realization creeping across his face. "Buffy?" he asked quietly.

"What," she choked out, feeling as though her mouth was full of ashes. "What else… did you expect?" she asked, dragging her long gaze to stare back up at him.

He blinked, startled at her reaction. But her gaze moved back down to her knees and she buried her face into her kneecaps, hiding away from the world that seemed so much like hell to her.

"Buffy…" the redhead spoke, reaching for her, but Buffy's cold arm knocked the other away.

"Don't," she said, lifting her war-weary eyes. "Don't tell me where I am. I will never believe you!"

"Is it really you?" the curvy blonde on the other side of the redhead asked, her eyes widening as Buffy turned her sharp gaze to her.

"Of course it's me," she spat out, coughing slightly. Seeing her bruised, bloody knuckles, she blanched.

"How did…" another blonde asked, staring at her, blinking uncomprehendingly.

Obviously, these people were exceedingly stupid. Even Siri had been more intelligent than this.

"The Wizard," she mumbled, pressing her bruised hands to her lips and shaking her head. "The damned Wizard… he did this."

"The only Wizard is the one you read about in those stupid kids books," the brunet said, now looking worried. He and the redhead exchanged a concerned look.

Buffy shook her head bitterly, but before she could speak, the brunet spoke again.

"It is you, isn't it?" he asked, and before he received another sharp reply, he continued on brusquely. "We brought you out… and we left you right where you were buried."

These words had a strange effect on her. She gave the brunet an inquisitional look before frowning slightly. His name suddenly came to her mind, but before she could say it, it disappeared again. "You…" she whispered, feeling the anger and rage swell. "You did this to me? Are you some Wizard's pupil?"

"Xander, what is she talking about?" the blonde asked, tugging at his arm. She was looking extremely worried, but Buffy was getting to her feet, her fists clenching at her sides.

"What did you do to me?" she demanded, a hint of a sob in her voice. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"

Before Xander could answer her, the demons that had been tracking her caught up with them and they found themselves trapped in a corner with a group of pissed off demons, thrilled at the challenge of fighting off the one true Slayer.

x-x-x

Many days had passed since the blonde woman who had thrived in the forest had briskly departed it. The Nazgûl had been sent down to Mordor with their newest prize, the evil creature Gollum. Although Sauron was thrilled at his trophy, he was angered at the loss of the woman he had counted on.

His Nazgûl would be punished, he thought, his own soul bubbling and scheming within the confines of the single red eye. As soon as things were prepared, they would suffer him.

But things had to be moved forward. Her loss would only mean one thing: that the powers of good still left in this wretched world were caught off-guard. They needed to be taken down. Immediately.

Instead of punishing the old Witch-King, Sauron gave him the biggest task at hand: to bring to him all of his forces from abroad.

And it was in that moment that the Great War began.

x-x-x

After a few minutes in which she had strung a few demons and slaughtered the others, she had gone running. That was when she had seen the Tower.

It was all coming back to her, memory after agonizing memory. She soon found herself staring into the same black abyss below her as she stood atop the platform, watching the entire world become still and heard only her own troubled thoughts.

"Dawnie," she whispered, her sister's name appearing on her tongue. "Dawn… be brave… live…"

She closed her eyes. This wasn't living. This was Hell. She had been somewhere else. She had been safe there. Nothing could hurt her. Nothing could save her. She existed with the purpose to stop evil. The only problem was… she lifted her bleeding hands and cradled them, more tears streaking down her pale cheeks. She longed for the security of the world she had left behind. She wanted it more than anything in this world. She took another precarious step forwards, but it was the scream behind her that startled her. Turning her head, she caught sight of a young woman standing behind her.

"Buffy, don't do it!" the voice begged. "Please… don't jump."

"I have to," Buffy mouthed, turning to glance at the abyss waiting for her. It was her only salvation. She had to do it. She had to get back! "This… this…"

"Buffy, please! I tried to be strong," the voice continued. Buffy was forcibly reminded of a very young Daire and her rather whiny tones. "I tried to live. You said that the hardest thing in this world is to live in it. I need you to be strong now. I need you to live… for me!"

Buffy continued to remain silent, staring into the gaping hole. Her mind was becoming clearer. She was prepared to make a sacrifice again. She wasn't sure what the first one had been, or if there had been more before the "again", but she had to do something. This wasn't her world.

"Please," the voice begged again, this time sounding tearful. "Buffy, say something."

She sounded angry now. Turning, Buffy met the azure eyes of the younger woman before quietly asking, "Is this Hell? Is this Hell?"

"Buffy, no!" the woman said, looking relieved that Buffy was thinking only of a Hell and not of taking the leap her mind was already mentally doing. "This isn't Hell. This is home!"

Home? Her home was in the forest, her solitude remaining in the trees. She wasn't really sure what _this _was. "No," she said, turning to look at the younger woman. "This isn't home. Not anymore."

"I don't know where you've been or what you've been through, but I've needed you," the woman insisted.

So, this was Dawn, she thought to herself. This was her… sister? She had a sister?

Buffy found herself shaking her head as the platform they were standing on top of began to tremble in a sudden gust of wind. She felt her breath catch into her throat and felt the song of so many promises on the cold wind. _I'm coming, _she heard herself breathe, _I'll__ be there soon._

_But not today._

She had to know more. She had to know who had brought her back and why. Taking a step forward, there was an almighty screech of metal and the platform around them began falling apart. Her Slayer libido kicked in and she found herself grabbing onto her sister and reaching for the last thing she could think of – a rope suspended over a hundred feet in the air. She found herself in a magnificent freefall and nearly fell deaf from the child screeching in her ear. When at last the rope had jerked to a stop, they were well above thirty feet from solid ground. But they had no choice. The metal pieces were starting to fall and she soon released the rope and both women fell to the Earth. The moment they had landed, Buffy dragged Dawn from the falling debris and soon both sisters were safely tucked behind a stack of boxes.

She felt a warm hand on her cold cheek and turned to see Dawn's eyes shining with tears. "Buffy?" she asked, sniffling slightly.

But Buffy didn't answer. She was too busy staring straight forward. As Dawn threw her arms around her, Buffy didn't react. She just stared outwards, feeling lost. It was almost like being a child again, she thought sadly as the sisters parted. Feeling her old self take over, Buffy said that perhaps it was time to return home. Dawn, startled by Buffy's rather formal language, was inclined to follow.

"We need to take care of these," Dawn said, holding Buffy's wrist and examining her bruised, bloodied palm. "You look terrible."

Buffy let Dawn take her arm and lead her through the empty streets. The demons were gone, but the damage and destruction they'd left behind was still burning or littering the streets. Dawn found herself going back to collect her fallen sister. Buffy still hadn't spoken a word, but kept that hopeless expression on her face. She knew that her sister had kicked some major ass, Dawn thought with a fierce smile. She just wasn't sure why Buffy was acting the way she was.

But the Slayer knew exactly why she felt so cold and dead inside. This wasn't her world anymore. They had made it theirs. She had her arena… and it had been her foolish choice to not take her one last opportunity to return to it. She barely glanced at the debris as they stepped around it. Instead, she felt even more like an idiot.

But, she promised herself, she would return. One day, even if it took the rest of her so-called life, she was going to go back. That world needed her.

She had no idea how much this one had, too.

x-x-x-x

In the next section, we find out what happened to Siri and the others. We also discover what happens when Buffy goes back to the one person she may or may not trust.


	14. Part XIV

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas. I might as well point out that at this point, it will be _eventual._

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: T, by the new fanfiction standards. There is a little blood and gore, but that is about it. It should be suitable for anyone who has ever read Tolkien or watched the show.

**Summary**: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. The story is currently twenty years and less before the start of the Fellowship.

**Gratitudes**: For those of you who still keep with this story, you have my eternal gratitude. I do promise a happy ending, despite how things seem now!

_Renna – She will. She just has a few things to take care of before she can even consider going back. And I do promise that my updates will be more regular now._

_Arrow-head water – Well, thank you. I will try and update faster, I will. And, yes, the Elf has every single intention of finding her. He has it within his warped, Elvish mind that she needs protection from whatever has taken her. As for cookies, well, yes please!_

_Sukera – why, thank you._

_Honolulu – Oh, yes. Every relationship must go slow. If you push it too fast, it becomes unbelievable and just… well… you know what they say about new romances… they last until the newness is gone. The only reason why this happened was because I didn't want her stuck during the time of the Fellowship. In the original version of my story, she stayed put and ended up fighting in the Elvish battles. Well, I included the final Elvish battle, but the rest was scrapped when I decided that trying to make it believable was just far too hard. Thank you for your review._

_Sparky24 – well, all I can say is that they don't have much time to speculate anymore considering the war has begun. I have changed a few things from the original story, but everything else is about where it was in the books. Buffy will re-enter the story following the final attack at the Morannon. And, yes, I have been there again and back. It was quite fun!_

_Torture of Persephone – Now I'm flattered. Thank you! I have these ideas from reading and then something will pop into my head and suddenly it is on paper. Honestly, as an editor, my job was to come up with new ideas to freshen things up. These were just the added bonuses. And there are more to come!_

_Heifer – I'm afraid they don't get into that wonderfully mushy feeling until closer to the end. I'm sorry, but to try and develop a relationship now when they are literally two worlds apart is not only impossible but improbable. They will be together again, that I can assure you._

_Lorency – not a chance. Even if Legolas did, his father would remind his son of his everlasting faith in that evil woman who abandoned the Elves in their greatest time of need. That and absence makes the heart grow fonder. While many years have passed for Legolas, only a few weeks have passed for our dear Slayer. In a way, they are both adjusting to the absence._

_FairyQuilan – I hope that that is a good 'okay' and not a bad 'okay'. The story does continue. There is not yet a 'completed' tab on it. And I'm still adjusting things at the end as more things pop into my head. Suffice it to say, there is still a lot of story left._

_Delauro - well, thank you muchly!_

**Part Summary**: Buffy faces life out of Middle-earth while Siri endures one disaster after another.

**Notes:** This was one of the hardest chapters to write, because do you go along with the episode or not? Buffy's friends are extremely dense after she returns from her Heavenly dimension. They should have seen that something was wrong when she wasn't all smiles and kittens. Because of how I thought Season 6 should have gone, I decided to include Tara in the insightful club. Enjoy the chapter.

x-x-x-x

**Part XIV**

x-x-x-x

It was still so cold, hours later. Even with Dawn standing beside her, a cloth wiping the dried blood from her face, she couldn't take her eyes off of her own reflection. She looked like a haunted heroine returning from a great war back to a family that knew nothing of such turmoil.

Dawn gently pulled the cloth away, watching Buffy's face carefully. Her sister was certainly acting strange, but that was to be expected. She turned and stuck the cloth under the icy water, watching as the bloody remains were rinsed down the sink. Buffy still hadn't said anything to her in the hour since they'd returned home. Sure, she'd looked around when Dawn had given her the grand tour, but other than that…

"Maybe… maybe we should look at this," Dawn said, reaching for Buffy's hand, but her sister recoiled, pulling her hand sharply away.

"We can worry about it later then," Dawn said in a soothing tone as she wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders and led her out of the bathroom and into her old bedroom. Buffy felt her eyes narrow at the sharp contrast of colors that she had yet to get used to. "Are you okay?"

Buffy gave the smallest shake of her head. She didn't know where to begin in explaining how she wasn't okay. She would never be okay. This just wasn't normal. She attempted to draw in her breath and was about to ask a question when a loud bang from downstairs caused her to jump and turn around, looking in every direction. Dawn quickly reached over to stop Buffy from attacking something, quietly saying "Someone's here."

"Dawn! Dawn, are you there? DAWN!"

"It's just Spike," Dawn said, turning to Buffy, who was gazing at Dawn suspiciously now. There was a hard glint in her eyes that the younger Summers girl didn't quite understand. It was almost as though she had gained wisdom wherever she had been. But Hell wasn't supposed to teach its patrons how to be wise… was it? "I'll go… just… stay."

Buffy watched as Dawn slipped out the bedroom door before following, the door closing softly behind her. She let her hand drift along the smooth white walls, feeling the bumps and bulges in the material beneath her fingertips. She heard the argument downstairs as she placed her foot on top of the landing.

"Spike… look."

Buffy lifted her eyes in time to meet the steely gaze of a bleached figure gaping at her from the entryway. She paused, cradling her hand as the man shook his head in disbelief. "What did you do?"

"Me? I… I didn't do anything, I swear," Dawn said, turning to look at Buffy. Her gaze lacked pride though, and was more fearful as she suspected that Buffy wasn't altogether herself yet. "She's just… here."

"How?" this Spike asked, shaking his head as he moved towards her. "Her hands…"

"I don't know what happened to them," Dawn admitted, watching as Buffy pressed her hands together. She refused to make eye contact with either of them, but she was certainly aware that they couldn't take their eyes off of her.

"I do," Spike said sarcastically, stepping out of the way as Buffy stopped on the stairs in front of Dawn.

"How…" Dawn began, but Spike just rolled his eyes and reached for Buffy's arm to steer her off of the stairs.

"Clawed her way out of her grave, did she?" this Spike asked with disdain. "Well, we'll get those hands fixed up. Come on, pet." He gestured towards the living room and offered his hand towards her. Buffy gazed at it a moment before stepping around him. Dawn quickly mumbled something about collecting bandages and took off, wanting to leave Spike and Buffy in peace.

Buffy quickly sat down, her hands on her knees. Her brow was furrowed as though deep in concentration. Spike took in every line, every curve and every last blemish of her lovely face before leaning back in his chair. "You okay?"

She shook her head, not daring herself to look at him. "This isn't right," she said, more to herself than to him. "This isn't real."

"Whatever happened, happened for a reason, love," he said, leaning forward and lift her bloodied hand and inspect it. "Does this hurt?"

"Not supposed to," she said, her tone wooden. Her voice sounded so hollow and empty that Spike gazed at her, feeling confused. Why was she acting like none of this mattered? She had just reappeared back into their lives for no apparent reason and now…

"Well, don't worry," he said, taking the box of bandages and alcohol that Dawn had given him. "I'll have this bandaged for you in a moment."

Dawn stood anxiously behind them as Spike tended to Buffy's hand with the tenderest care.

"How long?" Buffy asked softly.

"One hundred and forty seven days," Spike said, glancing up at her as he gently sponged her hand. "One hundred and forty eight today, but I don't think today counts." He paused before looking at her carefully blank face again. "How long was it for you?"

Thirty years, she inwardly replied. "Longer."

"Was it… bad?" Spike asked.

She shook her head. "No," she replied. "It was not."

Before Spike or Dawn could ask her what she meant, the door burst open and Xander, Anya, Willow and Tara stormed in, all of them asking questions and all of their words tumbling over one another. Spike gave Dawn a look of deep disgust before rising and stalking out of the house. Buffy remained where she was, staring forward. Dawn saw her sister relapse from the small conversation she had been able to make and turned to face the four now firing question after question at the silent Slayer. "Guys, chill," she pleaded, her hands at her sides. "She's not going to answer your questions if you act like psychos."

"The Wizard," Buffy murmured. Dawn felt her head snap around as she gazed at her sister. "The Wizard did this to me."

"Uh, Buffy?" Willow asked, stepping forward. "There are no Wizards here."

"The eye," Buffy said, her gaze hardening as her lips trembled. "It burns…"

Dawn felt tears spring to her eyes and pressed a hand to her mouth. Oh, dear God, what had they done? She was making the sort of sense Drusilla usually did. But Buffy seemed to close her eyes and regain her composure. The fearful look on her face dissipated and she stood up abruptly, glancing at them all. But she wasn't smiling. Her gaze was level and empty.

"Get some sleep, Buffy," Tara said. Dawn was secretly relieved for Tara's kind words. If Xander or Anya had stepped in, her sister could have suffered a complete mental breakdown. "You'll feel better in the morning."

"Oh," was all Buffy said before she disappeared again.

After they heard the soft click of her door upstairs, Dawn turned on Willow. "What did you do?" she asked, her voice rising angrily. "What did you do to my sister? Why is she acting like that? Why is she acting like she doesn't care?"

"She's not, sweetie," Tara said comfortingly.

"Like hell she's not," Anya replied angrily, glaring at Willow. "Something happened. Dawn's right. She came back wrong! This isn't the Buffy we knew!"

"I know that," Willow snapped. "But she's been somewhere… I don't know where, but it must have been awful!"

Tara gazed upstairs as Willow sat down, looking almost miserable. She sensed something else, something deeper. And she had a feeling it was anything but awful.

Buffy let her head fall onto the door, breathing deeply. She knew they didn't trust her. The only people who trusted her were her own people. It was hard to believe that at one point in her life, these were her people, too. She reached behind to rub her neck as she moved towards her bed. Unbuttoning her shirt took an unbelievably long time. With a small cry, she flung the offensive fabric onto the floor and kicked it away from her. Reaching behind her to find the snag that had made the shirt even harder to get off, she returned with a small clip in her hand.

All at once, she knew that this had to be a nightmare. Opening her hand, she spied an Elvish clip, beautiful in craft and design. She lifted the small clip and felt tears spring to her eyes as the small clip reflected the dim light from the overhead spot.

Taking the clip, she secured it into her top nightstand drawer for safekeeping. Even if she never saw that world again for the rest of her life, she knew she would always have a piece that had remained behind.

x-x-x

_Misty__Mountains_

_Winter of 3013_

Their journey home had been one standing disappointment after another.

Siri stood alone over the crest of a hill, watching as the sun began to rise. It was a bitter moment, she thought to herself. She had once looked to the sun for comfort. Now she thought that it was mocking her in her complete foolishness.

How could she have been so utterly, wholly wrong?

Their journey had been brutal over the Misty Mountains, taking many months to cross the highest peaks before returning for a rather harsh valley winter. Many of the elderly had perished, but not before a new Council was created with Mauve at the head. She and Siri worked tirelessly to return to the myth they had believed was their home.

What they found was something else entirely.

Oh, they had their lands, but there were no princes to welcome them home. There was little fanfare. There was really little of anything other than nomadic villages and scattered cattle. Siri, being their leader, couldn't allow herself to show her disillusionment. How could they have been so blinded? They were a proud people only because of the sacrifices made by their rulers. Apparently these scattered people were allied with the White Wizard Saruman. Siri had heard little of him, but knew that Buffy along with the Elves had not trusted him. She soon discovered the truth as to why.

Their people were short and squat, living off of the spoils from the country to the south. They were exceedingly arrogant and barbaric. They lived to destroy and plunder their neighbors to the south, claiming that they had the rights to the land. In other words, they were little more than common thieves. Siri's encampment, sickened with the long winter and with a rather stringent disease, had been their first plunder in quite some time. Siri reached bitterly for her crown, recalling the lives of the women lost because they had gone after the thieves. Though armed only with pick-axes and shovels, they had wiped out twelve of the Amazons before Siri had realized her crown was missing. There was a lot of blood on her hands, and it made their homecoming all the worse.

The worst part was the truth. One of their leaders, a rather portly figure who looked more like a Dwarf than a common man, had laughed with his bitter alcoholic breath in their faces. Their so-called prince hadn't been a prince at all. He had rather been the youngest brother of a man who named himself King after Helm Hammerhand of Rohan and, when he thought that he was doomed, he took his people and ran. He was presumed dead after three months and the entire group that had traveled with him had been labeled as traitors of Dunland. Siri was astonished to know that she wasn't royalty after all, but the descendant of a coward and a thief. Even her own pride couldn't keep the sadness from her face as she turned out of the tent, the laughter of the drunken bastards following behind her.

Having to tell her people the truth had been the hardest pill to swallow. Mauve had been exceedingly strong as always. She was approaching her elder years and had married during their journey south. It had been one of the brightest moments in a series of small, priceless reminders that these people still had something left to live for. Buffy had warned them that they wouldn't like what they found. She had found herself with child during the ride over the far side of the mountains. They had come across a few villages of people, scattered, lost and hopeless. Upon seeing the strong band of warriors making their way to their so-called homeland, the villagers had immediately aligned themselves with Siri's group. Their leader, a man known only as Jarron, had asked Siri to wed him only to unite their two different races. With Jarron and his rather impressive amount of males, the Amazons found themselves with more options. There had been a few weddings along the way. Even Daire had agreed to marry the younger nephew of Jarron once the war that her former leader had spoken of was over.

Along with her husband Jarron and her two small sons, Siri prepared to face their growing numbers. Once a decision was made, it would be up to the Council to decide whether to move south into Rohan, something that was against this Saruman's wishes, or to return through the Misty Mountains in the attempt to reach the Mirkwood Forest. She was going to have to tell her surrogate mother that they had failed to find what they had been looking for. Buffy had always been a strong leader, optimistic at best that her people knew what they were doing. Along with the emergence of a new Amazon force after a journey that had lasted more than three years, Siri's forces now neared one thousand.

The Council's decision had been unanimous. Saruman was a powerful Wizard in his rights and if he had the allegiance of these Dunlanders, it would seem that the Dunlanders would turn on their own kin to prevent them from allying themselves with the Rohan, their greatest enemy. Even the idiotic leader of the Dunland village they had come across had pointed that out to Siri. The Rohirrim were their enemies, too. Siri had no choice but to agree. They were to return to the Mirkwood and settle outside of the forest in the north of the valley. Jarron and Siri prepared to lead their people back. The journey to the mountains had been wrought with disaster after disaster. The Dunlanders, realizing that these people thought they were better than their own kin, attacked Siri's forces on a daily basis. Alwyn and Mauve, both now nearly fifty, fought side by side to prevent the Dunlanders from destroying all that Buffy had worked so hard to maintain. Daire had led another force to the north to seek survivors of a rumored settlement. All they found were gravestones and the burnt-out remainders of the villages that Dunland had destroyed during their vengeance.

Daire was sickened to think that this Wizard had such a hold over their own people. They were nothing like the Dunlanders. For one, only Buffy was short but squat she was not. What they had found was another ragtag band of leaderless souls who were looking for answers to all of the death and destruction. Daire had managed to convince most of them that a resettlement was the only way to ensure their survival. However, before they had returned to Siri's camp, the Dunlanders attacked. To make matters worse, it had been a trap all along. The only thing that saved Daire and her women from certain annihilation was the return of the real settlers. After managing to fight most of the nomadic tribe off, Daire and the other group managed to escape.

The road over the mountains was treacherous. They had all heard of the doorway under the mountain leading to the old Dwarfish mines of Moria. Not one of the Council members voted to pass beneath the mountains, but forced themselves to go over the mountains.

The only hope they had was the hope that they would one day be reunited with their former queen. She was the reason why they were different from their barbaric kin. Buffy was the reason why Saruman had not poisoned their minds against what little good remained in this world.

They had finally started the downwards slope when Siri chose to watch the sunrise this morn. She was only shaken from her stupor by her eldest son, a boy of three who called himself Erador. "Momma?" he asked, pulling on the hem of her well-worn cloak.

"Hello, there," she said, turning and scooping her son into her arms. With the child so close to her heart, she had a small idea how it felt for Buffy to consider both she and Daire as her daughters. "What can I do for you?"

The boy indicated his mouth and then his hand drifted down to his stomach. He was hungry. She knew this. There was little food and water to go around considering their numbers had tripled since leaving the last Dunland village. Their only hope was the Anduin, and she prayed that the Nazgûl had decided to leave Buffy alone. They really needed provisions in order to sustain their numbers or else disease would soon set in. The thought of losing Jarron or one of her sons was devastating to her. "I'm sorry," she said, gently caressing her child's face. "We need to get back to the camp before your father worries." Turning, she carried Erador back to the camp.

Jarron was waiting for her, along with their youngest son, a boy of only fourteen months known as Tobias. "The others are preparing to depart," he informed her. "I have sent a scouting party over the ridge yonder," he added, pointing out a smoke-covered cliff in the distance, "but little hope remains for such provisions to be found. There is simply no food."

"The Orcs had made certain of that," Siri said bitterly. "They have chased away all the game."

"It is likely they have killed more than they chase," Jarron said darkly. "We have little choice but to resume our journey with no rest."

"To do so would lead to certain death," Siri said angrily, returning Erador to his father's arms. "I have not led my people for years to have them suffer and die from starvation! We will cross these mountains and we will see the trees of the Mirkwood again. I will see my mother again."

Jarron leaned over and gently pressed a cold hand to her determined face. "I hope you are correct," he said softly. "Our people have suffered more than we could have imagined. To know that there is hope…"

"Hope remains while the company is true," she said, smiling up at him. Jarron leaned down and rested his forehead against that of his wife's.

"You are wise, my love," he said deeply. "You are far too wise for a man of my age to endure."

"Just wait until you meet my mother," she said, a hint of pride in her voice. "Her allegiance with the Elves will help us."

"You never spoke of such allegiance," he said, as she stepped away from him to gather cloaks for their small sons.

"It is likely that she has become betrothed to the Mirkwood Prince," Siri said with a fond smile. "I could foresee this."

Before Jarron could speak again, Daire approached, wearing her cloak around her neck and face to block the cold northern winds. "We must move on!" she shouted as a great gust swept through their encampment. Siri quickly turned her back to the cold wind while Jarron spun about, protecting his sons with his own body heat. "We have little choice. The Council has already begun."

"Then break camp," Siri said to her cousin before exchanging a dark look with Jarron.

"I will scout ahead," Daire said, pulling her cloak to cover her face as the snow and ice whipped up around their legs, their long skirts flying in the jagged breeze.

"It's far too dangerous," Siri said, her voice dropping as the winds seemed to abate. "I cannot let you go alone."

"Mother trusted me enough to go alone!" Daire shot back. "You were the one who refused to believe in her. You were the one that got us here!"

Siri straightened, her lips tightening. As she met Daire's challenging glare, she felt the blood rush into her cheeks. "I will not allow this to happen," she said, her voice rising. "I will not allow this situation to tear our people apart!"

"You believed in utopia so much that more than a third of our people died to see it," Daire said, stepping closer to her cousin. "This was your error, not hers. You were reluctant to return to the Mirkwood because you feared that she would be in a greater position of power. We need that power, Siri. We are a dying people. There may be many of us, but look at the Amazons. They are frightened about what lies beyond tomorrow. They have been to the very depths of hell and back because you wanted to believe everything that your father spoke."

"Your father told the same lies and believed in the same deceptions," Siri snapped. "This is no error of my father's."

"Your father was the prince," Daire replied, shaking her head as another wind gust swept through the camp. "How much have we paid for his truth, daughter of Edrae? How much more can we pay?" Turning, she stalked off, but not before Siri captured her arm.

"Do not go alone," she said in a low, worried tone. "Take Alwyn with you. If you come against any Orcs, two bowmen are better than one."

Daire slowly nodded in agreement before turning and disappearing.

By the time the entire encampment continued their way down the icy path, Daire and Alwyn had already ridden several miles head down another steep slope and towards another ridge. As they crossed the snowy line, they gazed at the string of mountains in the distance.

"We will never make it alive," Alwyn admitted to Daire as they stood there on their sheltered horses, watching another storm spiral in from the east. "We must send for help. The Elves will send food and water and possibly protection from the Orcs that remain in the valleys and shadows."

"Buffy always trusted the Orcs," Daire replied, shaking her fair head, raven hair falling into her eyes. Letting out a long breath, she gave Alwyn a sideways glance. "Did the Council request that you ask this of me?"

"It was asked of both of us," Alwyn replied, turning her steed slightly to get it out of the wind. "The Elves surely guard their borders. We need assistance or every one of our people will die in vain."

"I understand," Daire said, glancing back up the hill they had just climbed down. Her hair whipped around her face as she thought of her fiancée, miles behind with the rest of his family.

"Decide quickly," Alwyn said sternly, gesturing to the snow already falling over the next peak. "It seems we will have little choice but to take shelter should this next storm come."

"Then we'll go," Daire replied easily. Alwyn gave her a stunned look. "My mother was the only one strong enough to protect us. Few of us died under her care once the plague had passed. My parents may have died but Buffy was the only mother I ever knew. If she remains in that forest under the protection and allegiance of the Mirkwood Elves, then she alone will be able to protect us."

"Let us go," Alwyn said, turning her horse, which bucked slightly under the pressure and thought of heading steadfast into another storm. "Or we will have naught but our own selves to save should our people perish as we try!"

Together, the two rode quickly towards the icy stretch of the next hill. As they passed the remnants of a forest torn down by the Orcs, they saw their first ray of hope in many days. The sun was cold above their heads, but the Anduin gleamed like silver in the far distance. "Hope is kindled," Alwyn said, a smile passing her frostbitten face. Daire, barely alive underneath layers of horse blankets and cloaks, barely glanced at the other woman.

As they continued to make their way towards the Anduin, Siri and the others were trapped in the storm and forced to build shelters from the heavy depths of snow in order to ensure their survival. Once she returned to her own tent, Mauve was waiting for her. Now considered the eldest of their people, she was very cross when she came across Siri. "Your cousin has yet to return from the scouting party from yesterday," she said after crouching down to warm her frozen hands near a small blaze in the center of their igloo-like hut. Jarron was in the corner, trying to convince young Tobias and Erador to rest. "She was to return this morn."

"It is likely that she sought shelter from this same storm," Siri replied, rising and carefully unwrapping her cloak from around her head. "Do not worry for my cousin. She is a survivor."

"I hope so, for your sake," Mauve replied, then bowed her head and left the structure. Turning, Siri saw that both of her boys were becoming fussy.

"Let me," she said, resting her cold hand on Jarron's head before the man turned to tend to the fire. Tobias looked at her and let out a small wail which filled their icy house. "My mother used to sing me a song," she said, her lips trembling from the cold. She could hear the sounds of the ice cracking from outside of these thin walls and could feel the intensity of the blizzard's winds through the roof. Small bits of frost seemed to settle around them. "And then the night she died, Buffy sang the song to me and it brought me great comfort." Bending down, she stroked her son's face and glanced at Erador's curious eyes. "I wish to teach it to you in the hopes that someday the song will carry through the ages." Pursing her lips against the bitter cold, she bent down until she was lying between her sons and pulled them to her, wrapping her cloak tightly about them.

"_Across the mountains, our land is calling… our people waiting… we are longing… to take the path… to carry us home… we will go home… we will go home…" _Even as these words faded from her voice, she was forced to blink back tears which threatened to freeze to her cheeks. She could barely hold in the sob which threatened to break her harsh control, the self-control she'd spent years forcing into hibernation. It was funny the damage a silly child's song could do. Feeling a warm hand on her cheek, she glanced at Erador and saw his curious hazel eyes as he touched his mother's cold face.

"Momma?" he asked curiously.

"I'm okay," she whispered, gently smoothing his hair before setting her hand to his face. "Really, son. I'm okay."

Turning her face away from her son, she continued to hum the melody beneath her breath. Soon she felt the strong, steady breathing of her son next to her. Tobias had been asleep for some time now and, for a moment, the world was at peace.

And then the next gust of wind struck, forcing bits of ice and snow to land around them. The fire hissed as the water came into contact with it, sending up plumes of grayish-white smoke. Turning slightly, she managed to sit up and leave her sons alone. Jarron was in the opposite corner, his hands close to the fire. But his eyes were on her.

"What is that song?" he asked curiously.

"My mother taught it to me," Siri replied, joining him. He lifted an arm and she tucked herself beneath it, letting out a long, heavy sigh.

"It is very melodious," he replied.

"That's what I always thought," Siri laughed, glancing down at her hands. Lifting her head, she began singing softly again. "_In the silver light, I can feel them calling… they're taking me back… where I belong…"_

x-x-x

_Sunnydale_

_November 2000_

Even in her dreams, Buffy could feel the presence. It was a voice, and it was singing. It was a familiar song, one that Edrae had annoyed her beyond all hope in singing day after day after day. Buffy had eventually picked up on it, though. And it didn't help that she seriously considered having it translated into Elvish just so she could annoy the Elves to no end by singing that song day after day after day. It would have been the perfect revenge.

But something wasn't right. In her mind, she saw a sharp hint of flames before a figure screaming. Bursting out of her stupor, Buffy sat up sharply, gasping "Siri!"

She was greeted by silence.

It took her a full minute to realize that she had stopped breathing. Sucking in the life-saving oxygen, she felt her heart start to pound and lifted her hands to push her damp hair off of her forehead. Less than twelve hours out of Middle-earth and she was dreaming about her children again.

There was a soft click near her left elbow. The small light came on and flooded the room with a warm, gentle light. Buffy moved her hands to glance at the person standing nearest her bedside.

It was Tara.

The other woman moved slowly towards Buffy and sat down beside her. Buffy stared at her a moment in disbelief, but there was something honest in Tara's face, something that Buffy felt she could trust. Tara would never mislead her.

"I know that it wasn't hell," Tara finally said after a moment of awkward silence. "But it wasn't Heaven, either."

"It was both," Buffy replied. She collapsed against her pillows, breathing deeply. "You have no idea what I have been through."

"I can sense the conflict within you," Tara replied.

"Didn't know you were a Jedi," came the blasé response from the covers.

"We were wrong."

Buffy slowly lowered her covers to look at the other woman. "Excuse me?"

"Willow thought that you were in hell and wanted to bring you back," Tara replied. "It had nothing to do with those demons. They would have destroyed each other in the end."

Buffy was staring at her now with a mixture of alarm and amazement. "Now you're scaring me," she said as she sat up, gaping at the other woman. "What exactly did you sense?"

"There were very strong connections," Tara replied. "It had to be longer than five months."

"Try thirty years," Buffy replied solemnly. Tara's eyes widened as Buffy admitted this; she'd had no idea it would even be close to that long. A year, maybe, but thirty?

"What sort of…" Tara began.

"You wouldn't understand," Buffy replied, shaking her head angrily. "No one can understand."

"There is one who can," Tara replied. Now it was Buffy's turn to look surprised. "Willow called Angel tonight to tell him that you were alive. She also mentioned that there was a… err… some sort of demon that can read people's… souls."

"So basically this demon will tell me that I don't belong here?" Buffy quipped, rolling her eyes.

"You died saving our world," Tara said forcefully. "We had no right to take you away from saving another. Wherever you were, there was something there that tied you."

"There was," Buffy said. Reaching over, she opened her nightstand and removed the Elvish clip. "Here it is."

Tara held up the small clip and smiled. "It's beautiful."

"So is the person who gave it to me," Buffy honestly admitted as she rested again. "But…"

"Angel wants to see you," Tara replied without looking at her. "He said that he'll see you when you're ready." She slowly turned and Buffy felt those blue eyes bury themselves into her, as though glancing into her soul. The only person who had ever had that sort of insight was Strider and this was almost frightening. Tara wasn't of the Eldar. She truly shouldn't be like this. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Buffy stammered, watching as Tara stood up, gently setting the clasp at the base of the lamp before shutting it off, plunging the room into darkness.

"You have no idea how much we missed you," Tara said, turning to leave the room. "And maybe we'll never know what sacrifices you made to come back, but I know now that it was the wrong thing to do."

"They can never know," Buffy said in a hollow voice. "Even if I never get back there, they can never know how complete I was."

"And they never will," Tara replied, giving her a brief smile. "Get some sleep, Buffy. And try to dream of happier times."

As the door closed and sealed, Buffy relaxed back against her pillow. It took her a foggy moment before she realized that she was holding her breath again. Then, softly, she heard "_In the silver light, I can feel them calling… they're taking me back… where I belong…"_

Turning onto her opposite side, she stared out into the darkness. She could hear them calling, all right. But she had no idea how to answer in return.

x-x-x-x

In the next part, Buffy turns to an old friend to help her see where to go from there while the last Great War begins in Middle-earth. The battle for life is over, but the race against time has begun.


	15. Part XV

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas. I might as well point out that at this point, it will be _eventual_

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: T, by the new fanfiction standards. There is a little blood and gore, but that is about it. It should be suitable for anyone who has ever read Tolkien or watched the show.

**Revised Summary**: Buffy Summers had been given a new life and for thirty years she lived as the powerful, feared leader of a warrior clan of women… and then her friends pulled her out of Heaven. Now she lives in a world she no longer understands surrounded by people who cannot help her. Friendships will be tested and loyalties will be stretched to their limits but she will never rest until she fulfills her last promise and fights in the war she knows has come.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. The story is currently set about five years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been absent from Middle-earth for approximately five years already.

**Gratitudes**: This story is finally coming to an end. I really appreciate those of you who have kept up reading and reviewing this story!

_Tommy14 - Thank you._

_Sukera - I certainly I hope I do. Thank you for your review._

_Delauro - Well, thank you. And I hope so._

_Iris - It will be posted on a more regular basis as summer continues to calm down somewhat. And there will be a lot more of the Mirkwood Elf in future sections, that I do promise._

_irismoon - She does sort of have an expanded role here. It isn't explained that much, but you do get the idea that she knows more than everyone else things. Thank you for your review._

_Toniboo - Wish granted._

**Part Summary**: Siri and Daire discover the fate of their "mother". Buffy continues to unhappily exist, not knowing she's picked up an ally in her attempts to leave behind the left she's all but forgotten.

**Notes:** This was a chapter I intended to have out this weekend. However, I started reading a well-publicized book and completely lost track of just about everything. Once I was done reading said book, I was far too moody and negative-minded to even look at this chapter, much less edit it. There are much darker chapters coming, that I can assure you. This is the last of the real filler sections. It basically progresses the story to the point where Legolas is once again in the limelight.

x-x-x-x

**Part XV**

x-x-x-x

_Valley__ of __Anduin_

_February 3014_

An exhausted Ranger bent down to dip his hands in the clean, ice-laden waters of the River Anduin. Beside him remained his Elvish friend, silent and watchful as always. His fair eyes were trained on the mountains to the near west, and he wore a slight frown upon his face. The two had been riding southwards back towards the forest.

The winter had been all but kind. The Nazgûl were on the move again, as were the Orcs from Dol Guldur. Along with them were the Orcs from the Hithaeglir to the west. Along with Strider, Legolas was defending the westernmost border of the Mirkwood. Few Elves could be spared to ride with them, and most remained hidden in the trees should the enemy attack. What few Rangers there were left had been sent to Bree and along the Shire. Strider had decided to remove himself from the rest of his men should an attack come and perceived that intelligence about the enemy's movements would be most beneficial. War seemed to ebb closer and closer, and with that his true destiny.

"Something stirs in the west," Legolas finally said after a few moments passed. Strider lifted his head, cold water dribbling down his chin. He glanced at the Elven prince, but Legolas elaborated no further.

"You could have been more vague," Strider finally grumbled, wiping his chin and quickly getting back to his feet. Turning, he led his own tired steed to the water to allow him a drink.

"The Shadow lengthens," Legolas finally said.

Strider did not see how this was helping. Ever since the disappearance of that woman some years before, Legolas had been withdrawing into his own little cocoon of silence and subtlety. "You are still making no sense, my friend," he finally said, turning to glance at Legolas. The Elf slowly glanced at him before tipping his head towards the far horizon. "This subtlety does not suit you."

Legolas lowered his eyes before glancing away. "It matters not," he said, his tone intense. "There is one who is working against time."

"Aye," Strider replied, but he wasn't really paying attention anymore. His eyes had spotted movement at the foot of the mountains, maybe two kilometers away and drawing nearer. "Perhaps we should rethink that theory on something stirring."

Legolas glanced up, his eyes slightly alarmed as he followed Strider's keen eyes.

"What do your Elvish eyes see?" Strider finally asked, his eyes narrowed in the attempt to see into the distance.

"Two riders," Legolas replied quickly. "They come at great speed across the valley."

"Are they Orc?" Strider asked, joining his Elvish friend.

"I do not believe so," Legolas said, and his eyes darkened slightly. "They are women."

"Ah," Strider said, slipping his hand down to his sword and slipping it from its sheath. "It makes me feel that much more protected." But there was a look of great anticipation on Legolas' face. "Is it she?"

"It is not," Legolas replied after one tense moment, his demeanor slacking slightly. "But it is her kin."

"How can you tell?" Strider asked, watching as the two riders became more than specks on the horizon.

"They bear her standard," Legolas said, lifting his arm and gesturing outwards. He could see two riders in cloaks and hoods drawing nearer at a very fast pace.

"And it all makes sense," Strider muttered under his breath, watching as two horses splashed across a creek and drew ever closer. As they came nearer, Strider began to see that one of the two riders was waving a large banner. Unlike the green banner of Rohan with its white horse and the silver ship as a swan upon blue as Dol Amroth, this standard was white, but in the middle was a bronze symbol. No one quite knew for certain what the symbol was, but it appeared to be a figurine holding a small statue of sorts. Even at this distance, in the bright light, Strider could see the standard gleaming. "I assume they are certain they can tell us friend from foe," he added in an undertone to the Elf.

Legolas lifted his chin, his eyes shining slightly as he lifted his fair arm.

So much for subtlety, Strider thought to himself as he reached over and deftly pushed the arm down. "This would give them perfect cause to kill us at first sight," he said in his steady tone, working to hold down Legolas' arm.

"If they are her kin, they are surely friend, not foe," Legolas said in return before giving his human friend a small push to the side. The sounds of hooves were drawing ever nearer. "We must consider them friend."

"I will believe you if you say so," Strider said dryly, watching as two women wound their way around the rocky outcrop and paused. Less than a quarter mile away, Alwyn could sense movement and, upon closer inspection, saw two horses and an arm waving gaily in the air.

"What shall we do?" Daire asked breathlessly, drawing her mare up beside Alwyn's.

"Signal in return," Alwyn said, lifting the banner ever higher and swinging it almost dramatically. "We must not be rude. I thought your mother taught you manners."

"She taught me to swing a sword," Daire replied, almost giddy with relief as Alwyn's act was met by more pronounced waving, this time from both parties.

"Come, child," Alwyn continued, and they both moved down the rocky outcrop. When they passed into the valley, they were both extremely relieved to see an Elf and a man at the river's edge, scanning them in disbelief.

"Greetings," the man said in a cool, calm tone.

"Hello," Alwyn said, drawing her mare to a standstill. Next to her, Daire was panting as she leant over her horse, drawing deep breaths while clutching a stitch at her side. She let her eyes travel from the man to the Elf before doing a double take. What were the chances of ever finding this Elf, the one that they had needed to find, on such short notice? Surely the blessings of their ancestors were with them this day! "Are you the one they call Thranduilion?" she asked quickly, cutting off Strider, who had just opened his mouth to speak.

The man shut his mouth and threw an irritated look up at the older woman on horseback. She looked no younger than fifty, although she could have aged more. Her hair was fair and silver, but her eyes were lined and weathered beyond her years.

"I am," Legolas said quietly, taking a step forward.

"Oh, bless you," Daire said, gratefully flinging the reigns aside and leaping from her mare. "It is a relief to know that our search has not been in vain."

The man and Legolas exchanged an uncomfortable look. What had they been searching for?

But Daire continued on, lifting a hand to lower her hood and reveal herself once again to Legolas. "I am looking for my mother," she claimed.

Legolas looked stunned to see the figure standing before him. He had last seen her many, many years before. "Which one are you?" he asked quietly.

"I am named Daire," she replied softly. "Are you not Legolas of the Woodland Realm?"

"I am," the Elf said, a trace of impatience in his voice. Strider gave him a sideways glance before the Elf continued to speak. "However, I cannot tell you what you seek."

"But, surely my mother—" Daire began, just as Strider held his hand.

"Let him speak," he said calmly to the younger woman, who bristled.

"What are you saying?" Alwyn asked, sending Strider a sharp look before glancing back at Legolas.

"The woman that you seek is gone," he said, his voice even and emotionless. "She has fallen."

These words had a very serious impact on both women. Alwyn closed her eyes and glanced down while Daire stared at Legolas for a moment, her eyes searching his. After seeing that his eyes showed no deception, she fell forward onto her knees, skidding slightly in the damp grasses. Her eyes grew wide and mournful as she spied her reflection in the river. Her head bowed as she pressed a hand over her open mouth, stunned. Buffy had always been there, strong and resilient and, in their true time of need, her mother was no longer there. What folly was this?

"I am sorry," Legolas said, and it seemed to Strider that his voice carried the apology as he rested his hand upon her shoulder. "I know that you cared for her."

"What do you think?" she asked, turning around to glare at the Elf. "She was the only mother I ever knew. And she's dead?"

"It is so," Strider said, taking one look at Legolas' face. To hear it from her kin was like nailing the final peg into the coffin and it seemed to bring the truth of Buffy's disappearance to light. "We are sorry for your loss."

"She was our last hope." Both Legolas and Strider glanced up at Alwyn. The older woman was staring at the distant forest, suddenly looking far older than her fifty years. "Our people are trapped within the mountains. They need assistance. They need their leader."

"You two have ridden forward," Legolas said, realizing just how serious the situation had become. "How many ride in your camp?"

"Over a thousand," Daire said, her eyes still staring at the river. "If they have not all died."

Legolas turned and signaled to Strider, pulling the Ranger aside. "Buffy would have wanted to help her people," he said.

"But, if you remember what she told us, they were never her people," Strider replied.

"This is true," Legolas surmised. "However, I feel I owe it to her. She would have given her life for these beings. We must bring them aide."

"Your father would disagree," Strider sighed. "You know that Thranduil has lost his faith in these people since Buffy has left these woods."

"I know," Legolas said calmly. "There are few of us remaining who remember the truce we once shared. It is time we showed that there is still hope and trust amongst our people. I will call for those within the forest to bring provisions. Will you take these two to the encampment? I will return come nightfall."

"Aye," Strider replied, watching as the Elf stalked off, but not before resting his calm hand upon Daire's shoulder once again. Strider felt some of the emotion between this exchange. Legolas had truly cared for Buffy and with that came the realization that Buffy had had two daughters, one of which was grieving for her mother's death. Strider stepped forward, prepared to escort them back to their camp alongside the rocky shoals on the other side of the river. "Come," he said, bending down and gently hauling the one called Daire to her feet. "I will take you to our encampment." Seeing the doubt in both of their faces, he continued on. "You will be safe there."

"There is no safe place to hide in this world," Alwyn said, and in her lined face, Strider knew she spoke the truth. She had believed the same myth that her people had spent their lives learning. Now that she knew the bitter truth from all of the deception, she was all the wiser because of it. "We will go with you, but only ask that you send for our people."

"Legolas will do as you have asked," Strider said, watching as Daire slowly mounted her horse, wiping her eyes with her cloak as she moved. "He has gone to collect the other guards. They will not be safe in the forest, but perhaps there is another location." He paused, seeing the devastated look on Daire's face. "He is doing this for her."

She looked up and gave him a tearful smile. "How many years ago would it have been before she would have killed him dare he approach her?" she asked in a struggling tone. "I do not know how we have endured such hardships only to return and find her dead?"

"There is a reason and purpose for all," Strider said as they began making their way towards the banks. As they splashed across the narrow river, they began their short journey over the hills to the small encampment set up in the distance. Already, the two women could see Legolas making his way quickly to the tree line. "But know this," he said, and both women turned their attention back towards him. "She never became one of the nine. They never had that hold over her."

Daire smiled at the satisfaction in Strider's tone. "They never would have obtained that," she said, a hint of pride in her voice. "She had something that none of them could begin to understand. She carried love and hope and pride for her people and…" Her voice trailed off as she gazed at the last remnant of Legolas that she could see. "She had her shining knight."

x-x-x

_Sunnydale_

_2001_

It had been the same ever since she had returned to this world.

Buffy let the curtains fall, blocking her view of the bright, vibrant outside world. The birds were chirping, the neighbors were shouting, the children were laughing… it was yet another wonderful day in hell. Brushing her hair from her shoulder, she turned and began her usual morning routine. She shuffled over and pulled open her bedroom door, letting it shut quietly behind her. She made her way downstairs, hearing voices in the kitchen. There was laughter there, too. This was something new.

As she walked into the kitchen, all conversation halted abruptly. Willow, Tara and Dawn were there, as they lived in the same house. For some reason, Xander was sitting next to Dawn at the island. All four turned and managed to choke out "Good morning!" before giving one another guilty smiles. Buffy ignored them as she reached the cabinet and pulled down a glass. Turning, she poured it full of orange juice before taking the glass and walking straight out the back door.

"It's been two weeks," Dawn said, chewing on her lower lip as she watched the door click shut. "I wish I knew what to say to her."

Tara carefully avoided their gazes as she stood and began clearing away the breakfast dishes. "We need to be patient," she said quietly. "I mean, she's probably been through a lot."

"Yeah, and we don't even know what kind of hell dimension she was stuck at," Xander replied. "It could have been one of those with torture."

Tara lifted her eyes as she set a stack of plates in the sink. "Or it could have been something else completely other than hell."

There was silence behind her, and then Willow gently spoke up. "Tara, honey, do you know something?"

"No," Tara said, turning and flashing a quick smile at her girlfriend as she returned to the island. "I don't know anything… but isn't there a chance that she wasn't in hell? Is there a chance that this was just one huge mistake?"

For a moment, there was just an awkward silence about the table.

"No," Dawn said, glancing up defiantly. "There can't be any chance. I mean, she died for me. She took that jump for me. That portal killed her and sent her to hell."

If only they knew the truth, Tara thought. She leaned forward, pressing her hands together. Willow saw this and frowned slightly, puzzled by Tara's reaction. She had been oddly distant as well these past few weeks, as though only she knew what Buffy was going through. Well, she didn't. Everyone here had been through a rough time lately because of Buffy's death. Even Buffy herself should acknowledge that she wasn't perfect and just move on.

Outside in the warm sunshine, Buffy sat down and immediately drank her juice, enjoying the cool sensation in her twisted stomach. She still found it hard to eat anything, let alone act like a normal human being. She was completely stressed and even slaying had lost its normal kick. It was the perfect way to let loose, though, but it no longer had any of the merits it once held. Her destiny was once as a vampire slayer, to kill and maim all things bad, yadda yadda yadda. Now it seemed like her destiny had taken on a whole new meaning. She had been given a crown and had been asked to fight for a group of people. She had returned the crown and had pledged to fight with the same group of people. Now she wasn't there and they had been counting on her for something. She didn't know their grand plan. She had no way to hold back the darkness. But there was one person who had counted on her. And she knew she had let him down.

She tipped her head to her knees and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. They had no idea that this was killing her, the pressure of trying to be someone she wasn't anymore. They didn't know that thirty years in a different world changes somebody, and she was definitely changed for the better. She had raised two girls, hadn't she? She had trained hundreds of women to fight in this army, didn't she? And she had made a pact with what she had once considered to be her greatest enemy… now that was a feat in itself. But, unfortunately, she felt as though she had let herself down the most. She half-wondered about Siri and Daire and the rest of their people. She knew that they were in danger. She dreamt every night of them, seeing their cold fates drawn out as though on a map, decidedly plucked one by one from the world they had desperately believed could be a better place. She only wished she could have been there to see them partake in the days of peace.

She let out a low groan of frustration and threw her head back, her eyes catching the sunlight. This wasn't helping. Maybe the time had come to get the hell out of Sunnydale for awhile. Angel was still waiting for her call. Apparently, he kept calling on a daily basis, asking where she was and why she hadn't contacted him. Her friends kept saying that she wasn't ready. Well, she was ready. She'd had over thirty years to get over him. And, in her loneliness, she only thought of the one person who had caught her when she'd fallen. Then her thoughts turned back to finding a way to return to him without risking so many lives…

"This is useless!" she cried, slapping her hand on the stair. Behind her, she heard the door click shut and glanced over her shoulder to see Dawn.

"Sorry," she said, walking meekly forward before setting her school bag down. "I was just hoping that we could talk."

"There's nothing to say," Buffy said, withdrawing into herself and glancing away.

"Buffy, this isn't you," Dawn said, her tone pleading. "I wish that things could have been better, I really do. But I need you now, more than ever."

"Which one of them sent you?" she asked.

Dawn bit her lip to keep herself from crying. This wasn't her sister. This couldn't be. "They didn't," she sniffled. "I wanted to come. Things have been bad lately, Buffy, but…"

"You think they get better?" Buffy asked, her tone muffled; she had just drawn her hands to her face and had buried it again.

"I just want to know how I can help," Dawn pleaded. "Please, let me help you. I don't know what you've been through, but I want to know. That's the only way that you can—"

"You can't," Buffy said in a low voice. "There's no way you can begin to understand what I've been through."

"If you would just talk to me…"

"And say what?" Buffy demanded, turning around to glance at her. "Say that I appreciate being pulled out of hell? Did you want me to say that I really like being back? I… I can't."

Dawn's face fell as she bent down and scooped her bag onto her shoulder. "Forget it," she mumbled. "Forget I even tried. Forget I even care!"

"Dawn, you don't understand," Buffy said, watching her sister stalk off in a fit of temper. "Even the very young don't always do as they're told."

Dawn froze and turned slowly to gaze at her sister. When she saw her standing there, she saw a different version of her sister, older and more mature. "What?" she breathed.

"It's a saying that I learned," Buffy replied simply, walking over to face her sister. "It means that you have a lot to learn before you can pretend to know what you know you don't."

Dawn was beginning to feel even more astounded. Since when had her sister carried this much wisdom?

"Someday you will know," she said, patting Dawn's arm lightly. "I only wish I could show you."

Turning, she walked away, leaving Dawn to her very confused thoughts.

x-x-x

_Valley__ of __Anduin_

_3014_

Siri felt a small sigh of relief escape her lips as she rode into the Anduin valley, watching as a long stream of tents and fires had been pitched since the first of her people started crossing the great river that morning at dawn.

The Elves had come through for them. Siri hadn't exactly been surprised. In the past few years, all of her opinions of the Elves had changed.

She found herself gazing at all of the guards taking the night watch. It wasn't until she heard a familiar shriek did she allow herself to smile. "Daire!" she called, dismounting her steed and running to embrace her cousin. Daire clung to her for a moment before pulling back, her face and tone melancholy.

"Siri," she said, her tone mournful, though she attempted to smile through her tears. "It is good to see you… and…" Her eyebrows lifted in surprise as she surveyed Siri's rounded stomach. "You carry?"

"Indeed," came the calm tone of Legolas from behind Siri. "Your leader is with child."

"This is wonderful," Daire said, her face breaking out into its first true smile. And then the knowledge that her mother was dead fell back onto her shoulders and she looked down. "They have told you of Buffy?"

"No, they have not," Siri said, turning to glance at Legolas as he moved away, carrying a crate containing lembas bread and other fruits which had been sustaining these people for the past few months as they trekked across the mountains. "What tidings have you?"

"She is dead," Daire said, her tone very small.

Siri felt her eyes close as she turned to look at Legolas, who met her gaze straight away. She felt her chin tremble as she took a step towards him. At that exact moment, she felt something jump in her abdomen and withdrew her hands to her bulging stomach. "Why did he not tell me?"

"He knows that the tidings would not be good for your child," Daire said, looking even younger as she glanced fearfully at Siri, who was known to have a great temper when fired.

"I counted on him to protect her," she said quietly, so only Daire could hear. "I trusted him. I never trusted an Elf before in my life and now…" She looked away, but when she lifted her eyes, she was seeing red. "You…"

"Please do not endanger your child, Siri," Daire said, sounding quite alarmed.

"It matters not," Siri said, her infamous temper flaring. She could feel Jarron coming up behind her, but threw her arm out to block his reassuring grasp. "I trusted you…"

And yet his gaze never wavered. "This was her choice," he said simply.

"You lie," she hissed, her tone breaking as cold fury sustained her sheer exhaustion. "I trusted you to protect her!"

"She was more than capable of protecting herself," Mauve said, coming up next to Jarron. "Please, Siri, you must get rest."

"No," Siri snapped in a voice halfway between a sob and a snarl. "She was not supposed to die! She was going to save us!"

"She gave that power to you," one of the Elvish guards said, rising from where he was tending to a fire.

"She cared more for you than you will ever know," a second guard replied, blinking at her.

Siri shook her head. All sense of logical thought seemed to have escaped her person at the moment. "No," she said bitterly, waving the others away from her. "No. She loved you more than she cared for us, and she's a human being."

"Siri, just listen to yourself," her cousin pleaded. "Do you not understand what you are saying?"

"I would rather you died then have my _mother _submit herself to you," she spat at Legolas, who looked taken aback by her rage. "You may be a higher being with some greater purpose, but we were her children. I let you fool me into thinking you are some grand being I should respect. I was mistaken."

Legolas glanced at the other guards, many who had returned to their chores, looking politely unconcerned. But he knew better. "She cared for you enough to let you live the life you had wanted," he replied gently, stepping close to Siri and reaching for her arm. When she jerked it from his grasp, he reached forward and took her arm with a bruising grip.

"What do you think… you are hurting me… what are you…?" she spluttered as the Elf dragged her through the crowd of curious faces. Mauve, who had been privileged to such things before, quickly dispersed the crowd. "Who do you think you are, _Thranduilion_? You cannot fool me, you coward. I—" But her words were cut off as he pressed his fair hand over her mouth.

"To be a great leader as your mother, you must listen. It was something that over time she was able to learn to do," he said, removing his hand and breaking eye contact, her withering glare sharp on his features.

"I will." Her teeth were gritted and she could feel the cold fury surging within her, but also there was a desire to know why this so-called higher being had betrayed her foster mother.

"Buffy made a promise to my father ere she died," he said quietly, turning his back to her. "But she is now gone and her promise remains bitter amongst those closest to Thranduil. There are few left who believe that such an alliance is still possible. Your old ways are gone, Siri, and they will not return. War is upon us, open war. You and your people are not safe here."

"We are safer here than we were over the mountains," she said in a struggling voice. "Our people do not exist."

"On the contrary," a different voice spoke as Strider walked smoothly into their private area. "Your people do exist. They are here, now. I may not be of your village, but we are all connected from the beginning."

"You speak words of wisdom," Siri said, tilting her head as she considered him. "But, tell me, Ranger… do your words comfort the children whose mothers and fathers were killed trying to protect us?"

Strider silently shook his head.

"You have led your people far," Legolas said, frowning slightly, "but we cannot protect your people."

"I did not ask for your protection," Siri sneered. "That was my cousin."

"What my friend is attempting to convey," Strider said slowly after exchanging a long look with Legolas, "is that things have changed since you last crossed these borders."

"War… war, there is always another war, there are always battles and death and fighting," Siri said, laughing as she spun in a circle before turning on both men. She stopped, her laughter dying in her throat as she lifted her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I…"

"We understand," Strider said in a comforting tone. "We have led our own for many years. We know the pain and the bitterness and every last disappointment. You carry the weight of the world upon your shoulders. There are few who are able anymore. And I, too, have recently lost my mother."

"Buffy was not my real mother," Siri replied. "My real mother died so long ago… it is so hard to remember her that at times, I just forget. I kept thinking my mother was so strong and so brave, but she was not. She was a leader, but she never led. She never took up arms. She never once thought that fighting would accomplish anything other than death. And the thought of freedom confused her. But Buffy… I was still a child when she took over my care. The first act I remember she ever did was take up arms against thieves. She learned that ridiculous song so that my cousin and I would not remain frightened by the darkness. Sometimes I wish that she had been my mother."

"In your eyes, she is," Legolas replied with a slight smile. "She is a hero to many amongst us here."

"Elves are peculiar creatures," Siri said, her nose wrinkling at Strider's maddening smirk as they both teased the tall, golden-haired Elf. "Buffy's word must have meant a lot to you. You must have cared for her."

Legolas didn't say anything, but the look on Strider's face gave it all away. "She meant much to all of us," Strider finally said.

Siri straightened herself, her hands folding over her rounded belly. "Whatever accord you had set was between your father and her," Siri replied. "But my mother believed that peace was a far higher goal than fighting two or three enemies at once. I have seen our ancestral kin and they too fight against men. Against us. We will never have peace as long as there is war between us. Buffy offered her life for our freedom. As she is now dead and we have come to realize that we have always been free, there is much more at stake than our petty prides."

"You speak like a queen," Strider said, smiling gently at her.

She gave him a grateful look, but met Legolas' eyes. He looked as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Whatever comes to pass, know this Thranduilion. Your father counted on my mother to fight at your side. But she alone was one. I bring with me hundreds, nearly a thousand. Will my mother's promise be maintained if I were to take her place and fight in her stead by your side?"

Legolas gave her the faintest smile while Strider nodded solemnly. Then, he started to laugh. It sounded like the most pleasant music, ringing through the plains and turning heads.

"I do not find my speeches amusing," Siri said, bristling.

"Your speech is not amusing," Legolas said, composing himself. "But, for a moment, I thought you were your mother."

Siri smiled. It was a very different smile than the one Legolas had remembered. Then again, he had never seen this girl smile. But, as he saw her husband and two small boys approach, she was a woman now, with her own growing family. "Do we have an agreement?" she asked lightly.

Legolas nodded firmly. "We do," he replied fairly. "It will be most gratifying to fight alongside her kin to the end of days."

"I was thinking the same thing," Siri said, frowning slightly.

"There is one deed we can do for you," Legolas replied. "I will send word to my father of your return. Hopefully the bitterness of the last alliance will not stand to break apart what fragile ground we have built upon today. We will give you shelter and provide provisions as long as you see fit. In return, when the battle comes to Mirkwood…"

"We will be prepared," Siri said, lifting her chin proudly. "We are well trained and there are no longer just women in our numbers. We have taken all we could from the dreadful lands of our forefathers…" Her face fell as her memories recounted the bitter meetings. "Buffy taught me all I needed to know." Siri turned just as a small boy ran to her waist and clung to her legs, looking up at her with adoring dark eyes. "Come now," she said, taking her son's hand and pulling him off of her body. "Let us leave the men to plan their war. We have better things to attend to."

Daire was waiting by where the women were placing large white tents in a circle around the paddock of horses. She looked fearful as Siri returned, Jarron at her side with her youngest son in his arms. "Do not blame me for my choices, Siri," she said quietly.

"Do not fear," Siri replied, giving Daire a gentle smile. "I chose to listen to his words and for once they make sense." She paused before taking Daire's arm and pulling her aside. "Do you remember what we discussed before we crossed into Hithaeglir once again?"

Daire gave her a startled look. "My lady?"

"It is time," Siri smiled, letting go of her cousin. "It is time to prove that we are not as weak as our kin have spoken. It is time to become what we were born to be. This is our destiny. Our time has come."

x-x-x

_Sunnydale_

_2001_

They really didn't understand.

It was almost shocking to see their gullible faces, so eager to believe what they wanted to. But it was hard to watch the Slayer go through the motions as though living an ordinary life. She should never have been brought back. Had she known the extent to what had happened, she never would have allowed it.

Her friends could sit there and judge her by her slow reactions. But Tara knew better. She had felt it when Buffy had returned to the house. And for the past few weeks, she could feel it waning, as though slipping away. Buffy had been gone for only five months in their calendar. But she knew it was a lot longer where Buffy had been.

So when Tara found Buffy packing her vehicle, she seemed hardly surprised.

"Oh," Buffy said, slamming the hood door of her mother's old Jeep. "I'm sorry… were you…?"

"You're sneaking away," Tara said, but she was smiling.

"Well, yeah," Buffy replied, looking uncomfortable. "I mean, Xan's at work, Willow and Dawn are both at school and you…"

"Not supposed to be here, I know," Tara said quietly. "But where will you go?"

"Anywhere," Buffy replied fervently. "I just need a break, you know? It's been bad enough with everyone pretending to care what happened to me. It'd be so hard to tell them that I wasn't where they thought I was."

"In other words, not hell," Tara stated.

"Exactly," Buffy murmured, glancing around her as she slowly made her way to the driver's door. "Look, I'm not going to pretend you understand…"

"I understand perfectly," Tara replied with her soft smile. Buffy blinked up at her, obviously confused.

"If you understood that, then you'd know why I'm not acting all grateful because I was pulled out of a world I really liked being in. I was there for years, Tara. _Thirty years._"

Tara's eyes widened at this information. This, she did not know.

"I got over losing you guys a long time ago. And trust me, there were a lot of distractions." Turning, she pried open the door and shoved her bag inside.

"Tell me."

Buffy glanced at Tara in surprise, one leg inside of the vehicle. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes," Tara replied, smiling again as she gently nudged the door shut, the stunned Slayer standing on the other side, looking awestruck. "You were my friend once. I thought maybe you would have remembered that you can trust me with anything."

"I do… I mean, remember," she said hastily, leaning against the Jeep. "But where do I begin?"

"You could start at the beginning," Tara gently urged.

"I could," Buffy said, wrinkling her nose. "But that's basically when the pointy ends of the sword were pointed in my direction."

"How did it change?"

"Change?"

"Didn't you just say it wasn't hell? It must have gotten better from there."

"Oh, yeah… well, see… it started out with this kidnapping plot these evil pointy-ears were doing to this nice young Prince…"

_Los Angeles_

_2001_

_Sixteen Hours Later_

It had been a long and trying day. Angel Investigations was most keen to forget that anything had happened, but when wiping the turquoise-colored blood from their axes and swords, they were painfully reminded of their first apocalypse-like event since returning from Lorne's home world. Even the early dawn light couldn't have prepared them for what they had faced.

"I despise those larval things," Cordelia Chase grumbled as she scrubbed a rather nasty stain from the end of her curved sword.

"Just imagine how bad it could have been had they been fully grown," Wesley pointed out from behind her, hanging their long weapons in the chest.

Cordelia gave a small shudder as she handed her sword back to Wesley.

"All those teeth," Fred whimpered, hugging herself as she sat gingerly in one of the chairs behind the counter.

"I was more worried about those spikes," Charles Gunn said, grinning as he swung his battle axe with a flourish. "But I'm glad we got to their nest before they spread."

"Indeed," Wesley said, snapping the lock on the chest shut before turning to watch as Angel paced in the entry hallway. He suppressed a sigh as he watched Angel move back and forth, his facial expressions becoming more pronounced and broody. Wesley knew that while they were occupied with a case, or, in this instance, a nest of baby Sandarac demons, Angel was part of the team. But when they reverted back to the post-battle atmosphere, Angel seemed to just revert back to his old brooding self. And it didn't help that his Slayer had yet to make contact with him, despite being back for more than two weeks. He gave Cordelia a quick glance and thankfully she took it into stride. Moving towards Angel, she began talking in her usual, cheery voice.

"Why don't you sit down and we'll make you a nice, warm cup of—"

"Buffy?"

"Eww, not," Cordelia said, giving Angel a disgusted look. But, judging by the expressions on the rest of the team, they were all focused on someone standing over her left shoulder. Turning, she saw the small blonde standing in the doorway, pulling the hotel door closed behind her.

"Buffy," Cordelia said, watching as the Slayer stopped moving. But something wasn't right. Instead of seeing a self-assured, confident woman, she saw a troubled woman with messy hair. She was looking uncertain, even timid. "Are you okay?"

Buffy shook her head slightly. "No, I'm not," she quietly intoned as she glanced at each member of Angel's team before her gaze returned back to Cordelia. "You help the helpless, right?"

"It's the motto," Gunn said from his position.

"Well, then," she said, glancing down before looking up, as though steeling herself to make some stunning revelation. "I need your help."

x-x-x-x

In the next part, Buffy has a few confessions to make, as do others.


	16. Part XVI

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas. I might as well point out that at this point, it will be _eventual_

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: T, by the new fanfiction standards. There is a little blood and gore, but that is about it. It should be suitable for anyone who has ever read Tolkien or watched the show.

**Revised Summary**: Buffy Summers had been given a new life and for thirty years she lived as the powerful, feared leader of a warrior clan of women… and then her friends pulled her out of Heaven. Now she lives in a world she no longer understands surrounded by people who cannot help her. Friendships will be tested and loyalties will be stretched to their limits but she will never rest until she fulfills her last promise and fights in the war she knows has come.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship.

**Gratitudes**: At long last, we are progressing forward.

_Anna - It was never my intention to just set Angel aside. He comes into play in the future and not just within this chapter. And I guess it was my own goof that you caught... whoops. I'm glad you're enjoying this!_

_sparky24- It hasn't been more than maybe three chapters that they weren't seen, and suddenly they are in the open again. I actually love the character of Siri, for reasons that you will soon see. And Tara's role is about to get a lot more complicated. And Angel's gang is nothing more than moral support. Buffy needed an outlet for her frustration and she finally found one._

_Toniboo - Oh, she is definitely going back... _

_General Mac - of course._

_Lorency - There is a first time for everything. It will likely be the last cliffhanger I'll ever write because I do not tend to favor them, but the chapter just fit the way it was._

_Sukera - of course. Thanks :)_

_TortureofPersephone - well... they did help, in a way. They can tell her what she already knows. There is only one person who can act on it and that person is about to wake up and smell the coffee, literally. And, thank you. I hope you enjoy the end of this story!_

_goldenshadows - I tried, honestly, to update sooner. But real life just gets hectic, you know?_

**Part Summary**: Buffy makes a few confessions.

**Notes:** This is another Buffy-centric chapter. We can already assume that Legolas will be busy on his travels to Rivendell now. But things are picking up on both ends, as you will soon see. Lastly comes the question of who Tara really is. It will be explained in the next chapter moreso. I had to leave some intrigue.

x-x-x-x

**Part XVI**

x-x-x-x

"You came to the right place."

Buffy felt only slightly more relaxed as she settled onto a chair in a large, rather ornate conference room. She had a feeling it hadn't been used in quite some time. There was a thick layer of dust on every surface but the small set of chairs surrounding a large fireplace. And yet Angel took the seat across from her, waiting for her to speak. Just as she opened her mouth, there was a knock on the door. There was a head that poked inside, followed by Cordelia's slim figure. "I figured you could use the mediation," she said in a comfortable tone, taking the third chair and settling in. "I didn't want you dusting my employer."

"Ah, noted," Buffy said dryly, crossing her arms.

"She was just about to tell me what was going on," Angel said, a hint of a whine in his voice as he glared at Cordelia.

"She can stay," Buffy said quietly. "Besides, weren't you just telling me of some dimensional travels you just got home from?"

"Oh, Pylea!" Cordelia said, her face breaking into a wide grin. "Yeah, they loved me so much, they made me a Princess."

Buffy leaned on her chair, her fingers drumming her jaw line. "Hmm."

"Did you have any fancy names?" Angel asked.

"A few," Buffy replied, looking inquiringly at Cordy. "I think my favorite was Lady of Shadow."

"What sort of name is that?" Cordelia asked, leaning back in her own chair.

"Something fit for a queen."

"They made you a Queen?" Cordy asked in disbelief.

"I earned that role," Buffy replied. "It was given to me by a dying ruler."

"Who made you a Queen?" Angel asked her, just as Cordelia spoke up.

"This is just so abnormal! We both get transported to these new places and they make us royals! I knew Sunnydale would dish out something positive after all that negative stuff."

"Why don't I just tell you both the whole story," Buffy said, lowering her hand, suddenly looking weary. "It might be easier on all of us."

And they both closed their mouths and gazed at her as she began to tell them everything.

x-x-x

_Sunnydale_

Willow watched as Tara continued to scrub the same place on the table. Glancing up from her textbook, she saw that Tara looked more than preoccupied. "Are you okay?"

"Don't I look okay?" Tara asked in an edgy tone.

"You haven't been yourself in the past few days," Willow replied, watching as Tara continued to run the sponge over the same corner. "And you're going to rub the table away if you keep doing that."

Tara glanced up and Willow was taken aback by the anger in her girlfriend's face. She had never seen Tara look like this. It was as though this fury gave her a savage inner fire. "Maybe it would look better," she said in an uncharacteristically hard tone. "Maybe it would make me feel—"

But Tara cut herself off, just as Willow glanced over at her. "Make you feel what?" she asked, as though she didn't want to know the answer.

"Guilty," Tara replied softly. "I feel guilty, okay? It wasn't supposed to happen."

Willow stood up and walked over, examining the table. "It doesn't look too bad. I could just whip up a little spell, and—"

"No, Willow," Tara said firmly, turning to her. "You're using too much magic!"

"But I'm not!" Willow protested. "I haven't done anything that big since I brought Buffy back. A lot of good that did. She's been acting like a brain-dead zombie."

Tara's eyes narrowed as she flung the sponge onto the table. "It was never up to you to decide for her," she snapped, before flouncing from the room. Willow glanced up in confusion as she heard Tara pounding angrily upstairs. For some reason, Tara's behavior over the past week had been growing stranger and stranger. Something was definitely up.

Once securely upstairs, Tara reached their bedroom door and closed it behind her. Moving towards the bed, she held up her palm. Whispering a few choice words, she could hear a soft, melodic tone echo around her, as though speaking instructions. As the soft glow spread from her hand and expanded, Tara's body fell to the side, as though lost in a deep sleep, while her soul was brought back to a previous land she had once left behind.

x-x-x

_Los Angeles_

"Wow."

"I don't even think 'wow' covers it."

"You said that already."

"I can't help it," Cordelia replied, blinking. "I mean, even you can't come up with some load of hooey like that."

"Well," Buffy said coldly. "I just did."

"Wow."

"Will you please shut up?"

Angel looked at Buffy's irritated face and at Cordelia's bemused expression. Somehow, words couldn't describe how he felt right now. He had gone after Cordelia, trapped in a demon dimension for maybe two days. He had lost Buffy for _thirty years? _It didn't seem possible!

"Wow." He just couldn't help it.

He was rewarded for his third straight comment with an annoyed look, but he felt as though she should have been more lenient. After all, she had just spent the past hour spilling her soul to him, and it had been months since he'd last seen her. She'd been alive for months now and had yet to even speak to him. Suddenly she was at his hotel, looking as though she were seconds from falling apart. Instead, he had pulled her aside and asked her to talk to him. Unlike the cautious Slayer he knew, he found that she was willing to talk. Apparently, she had a lot on her mind. Cordelia just drew her knees to her chest and quietly watched them, her head tilted.

She wouldn't look at him, still. He wondered why she avoided his gaze, but she had been staring at her knees for the past hour. She still hadn't moved from this position, although her voice never wavered. He kept staring at her, hoping that she would at least acknowledge the person she'd been spilling her heart out to.

"I know," he said quietly. "It's just that… you know… this isn't something you'd hear everyday."

He saw her wince as she played with the bottoms of her jeans. "But you went through it."

"We did," Cordelia replied, speaking up for the first time in awhile. "But that doesn't mean you should have gone through it alone."

"Who was going to come and save me?" Buffy asked irritably. "As I told you, I didn't exactly need saving."

Angel rolled his eyes while Cordelia let out a rather unladylike scoff. "That's for sure."

"Why me?"

Cordelia eyed Angel, but Buffy still wouldn't look at him. He thought he saw a darkness cross her face as she appeared to think over her words. "Because you know what it's like to thrive in the dark," she said softly.

"Are you sure this isn't some vengeance thing?"

"What?" she asked, choking out the word as though it were poisonous. "Have you completely lost your mind?"

"I'm not the one talking about trans-dimensional time travel," Angel replied quietly. "You just told me you spent thirty years leading some peasants to freedom and fighting off ugly trolls."

"Didn't she call them Orcs?" Cordelia asked quietly.

She appeared to bristle. "I have been," she snapped. "And yes, they were Orcs. They're a cross between goblins and… why the hell are you laughing at me?" Then she began to realize how juvenile her words sounded.

"I'm sorry," Cordelia said, barely able to hold in her laughter though her hand covered her mouth. "I'll just… I'll be out there. Just holler or something if she pulls a stake, okay?" Turning, she left the room. Once the door was closed, they could hear her laughter on the other side.

"It is pretty unbelievable," he admitted, shaking his head at the whirlwind behavior of his associate. "I mean… Elves and half-Trolls and destinies… it just doesn't seem like the type of thing Heaven is."

"I don't think it was Heaven," Buffy sighed. "It wasn't a happy place, but it wasn't Hell, either. There were good things, there. There are good people." She looked back at her hemline and gave a particularly long string a hearty twitch. "But it was different, you know? I felt like I belonged there."

"You belong here," Angel protested. "You're the Slayer, Buff."

"You don't understand," she said, her face darkening. "And I thought you would understand best of all what it feels like to feel helpless. I seem to remember your complete breakdown on Christmas!"

"That was different," he argued.

"Oh, you're right," she said angrily. "That's because your best friend didn't use the blackest magic to bring you back!"

For a moment, there was silence between them.

"Forget it," she said, getting to her feet. "I'm obviously not going to find help—"

"Excuse me."

Buffy glanced up as a tall, green-skinned demon slipped into the room.

"I couldn't help overhearing your little soirée," he said, giving Buffy a charming smile before holding out his hand. "I'm Lorne. You must be Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. Have to say, Angel… she's pretty."

"Thank you," Buffy said sweetly. "Now, how long have you been standing there?"

"Careful, Lorne," Angel said, quickly standing up and placing his body between the demon and the Slayer. "She bites hard."

"I just like to play." There was no sad look in her eyes now, nor any playful smile on her face. In fact, she looked hard and angry.

"That's sweet," Lorne said, giving her a placating smile. "You might want to keep your voices down. They can hear you in the lobby."

Buffy sighed and crossed her arms. "I remember when privacy actually meant something."

"When you were spending thirty years in the wilderness?" Angel asked lightly.

Buffy sent him a scathing look. "Fine… don't believe me."

"I just find it hard to believe that you're telling me, of all people, that you just spent—"

"Just because you're too thick-headed to even see the truth—"

"Angel… she's getting agitated…"

"All right, stop," Angel said, placing both hands in the air.

"I have never lied to you about something like this," Buffy said, her voice simmering slightly. "I wouldn't lie to you now."

"There is one way to find out," Lorne said slowly.

"Oh," Angel said, a look of dawning comprehension on his face. Turning to Buffy, he saw the confusion on her face.

"What do you mean?" she asked fearfully. "If you're gonna use some wicked magic…"

"There's nothing like this kind of magic," Angel said easily. "He just wants you to sing."

"Sing?" Buffy asked in disbelief.

"He reads people when they sing," Angel explained, shrugging.

"Oh," she said softly, slowly sinking back to Angel's abandoned chair. "What do you want me to sing?"

"Anything you want," Lorne replied.

"Okay," she said, looking down again before a wary smile fell across her face. Lifting her chin, she began to sing, albeit slightly off-key. "_Land in shadow, land forsaken… stone and fable past is hidden… darkness clouds the road's safe haven…_"

As she sang, Lorne was suddenly caught with flashes, brilliant white lights. He saw a small blonde in shredded clothing protecting a small boy from advancing swords. He saw a woman taking a sword from a dead man's hand before lifting it to strike and kill. He saw a flash of a woman leading other women in some sort of strange exercise. He saw a fight between a tall, broad figure and the woman. He saw a woman on her knees, near death, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, egging something on. He saw fell creatures soaring from the sky, advancing on a woman who stood alone, abandoned by a group of women who had run at first sight. He saw a pair of cerulean eyes and pointed ears and heard a gentle, soothing voice. He saw a figure riding hard as winged creatures ahead swooped down, screeching. And, at last, he saw a flash of light, heard a scream, and saw darkness. Lifting his head with a start, he heard her singing on.

"_Land of home, land of family… land where all our hopes are found… we will go home across the mountains… we will go home, to the skies… we will go home… we will go—_"

She suddenly cut herself off, seeing the look on Lorne's face. He was staring at her, obviously flabbergasted. "Angel?" he asked quietly. The vampire moved closer to help Lorne regain his footing. The demon wasn't sure when he'd lost it.

"What did you see?" Angel asked.

"The truth," he said, watching Buffy's eyes carefully. Her gaze never left his face. "It was you."

She nodded ever so slightly.

"How did you…?"

"I don't know," she admitted in a low, worried voice. "But now you know."

"What do you know?" Angel asked, looking between Lorne and Buffy. "What aren't you telling me?"

"She doesn't belong here," Lorne said, as though trying to find the words to express how he felt.

"You read that from me?" she asked. "I knew if I came here, I'd find what I was looking for."

"You found it," Lorne said uncertainly. He turned to look at Angel, who was still looking rather edgy. "Would you give us a moment?"

Angel nodded and after making sure Buffy was okay, he left the room. "What do you know?" she asked him.

"Power," he said, lifting a hand to massage his green temple. "I felt a lot of power."

She looked pleased to hear this. "I had some."

"There was someone," Lorne said, glancing at her. "I saw him more than once."

A sad look crossed her face. "Pointy ears, sea-foam eyes, killer smile?"

"That's the one."

A sad smile lit her pretty face. "I…"

"You feel something for him, don't you?" Lorne asked. "I sensed it. And I haven't been wrong yet, sweetie. Is there anyway you can go back?"

"I could try dying again," she said bitterly.

"I would go against it."

"Me, too."

The two unlikely allies shared a smile. "What was that song?" Lorne asked her.

"Something I was forced to learn. I used to sing it to the girls before they went to bed at night…" Her voice trailed off as she looked away. "I miss them."

"Well… Angel will know that you're telling the truth soon enough. But you should know that there's always a way back. Believe me, I know," he said, seeing that she was opening her mouth to protest. "Don't lose hope, girl. There's always hope."

A brilliant smile spread warmly across her face. "I was hoping you would say that."

x-x-x

_Mirkwood__Forest_

_3018_

"They made it!"

Siri gave a great breath of relief as a large number of Elves on horseback suddenly crossed into their own realm. The villagers barely glanced up, they were so accustomed to seeing Elves pass by their village. But they had not seen Thranduilion for quite some time. Siri herself was pleased to see him. At last, perhaps, he would have his father's answer. Instead, she found a silver chain being dangled in front of her face, despite her best efforts to bat the irritating object away. "What in blazes is that?" she asked angrily.

"Your mother once possessed this," Legolas replied, dismounting and holding the silver cross in his hand. "She revered this object above all others, including your mother's crown."

"Somehow I never expected to see this again," Siri said, taking the object from his outstretched hand and holding it to the light. "Where was this found?"

"In the forest near where she was last seen," Legolas said quietly.

"He has spent the past few months in that part of the forest," a second Elvish guard spoke up snidely.

"You miss her," Siri said, realizing.

Legolas nodded. "I miss her more than I did when she first disappeared," he admitted. "However, a call was made from Elrond in Rivendell and the time has come for my presence to leave this forest. My father has acquiesced to your proposal and is awaiting your presence in his city. He fears that Sauron is already amassing a great number of forces."

"We are quite ahead of you," Siri said, a hint of pride to her voice as she waved Mauve forward. Her mother's former Lieutenant came forward and spread out a scroll, her palms pressing the map down so that Siri could explain how dire their situation had become. "The numbers of Dol Guldur have swelled. It would be an unfortunate error to send my forces to wipe the resistance there, for it has grown too far. Our best hope is to remain hidden and hope that Sauron does not know that the kin to his precious Shadow has returned to claim history's place."

"They gear to strike hard," Mauve said, gesturing to two places on the map very near to Dol Guldur. "They will strike Lórien hard and the Woodlands even harder. They carry with them a great and vast firepower and creatures the Orcs speak can breathe fire."

"Surely not dragons," an Elf spoke, frowning at Maeve's tactical report.

"They are far smaller than dragons, but from our informant who was quite informative at the end," she said with her wicked smile, "they have the firepower to destroy this entire wood and the woods of Lothlórien. We have no choice but to fortify what we are able. They have large numbers of Orcs and wicked men from the south. We believe them to be the dark Elves that once plagued our forefathers. We are no match for their strength, for the last time we fought many perished. But we are more able to parry the Orc."

Legolas turned to confer with his Captain. "The Elves will fight these dark creatures."

"We will handle the others," Siri replied.

"Do you not recall your last words to Strider?" Legolas asked Siri quietly.

"You have a point," Siri replied blithely, turning to her sister. "Daire, Mauve, come forward."

The two women stepped forward and Siri paused, uncertain on whether she could ask these two loyal women to do what she was about to ask them to. Before he had left the previous year, Strider had asked her to send aid to the south, where the warriors of her village could easily assist the warriors of Gondor. After all, they were all relatively related in some way or another.

"Prepare your forces," she told Daire quietly. "You will go south towards Osgiliath. I believe you recall the promise I made with the Ranger."

Twenty years ago, Siri would have killed any Ranger or Elf where he stood. It amazed Daire to see what her sister was capable of now. "Yes, my lady." Turning to Mauve, who came forward, Siri added, "I wish for you to keep my cousin safe. You are the eldest and most able Amazon and you are the bravest woman I have ever met. Despite the harsh words I once reserved for you, I ask for your forgiveness now."

"You had my forgiveness ere we crossed the mountains," Mauve replied. "As for Daire, she knows to protect herself. There is little I can do to sway her spirit."

"No, but it would appease my soul," Siri replied. "I entrust you both with this task. Do it for Buffy."

Mauve nodded and said little else. She and Daire both swept off, calling Daire's small band of archers with them.

"This battle, when it comes, will be the grandest of battles," Legolas told her. "Will you prepare your people for the worst of what may come?"

"There are caves in the hills yonder," Siri replied, pointing. It gave her some pleasure to know that she wasn't as pregnant and waddling as she had been the last time Legolas had seen her. She had returned to her smaller, muscular physique and she rather enjoyed it. "I will ask Jarron to remain behind. In the beginning, he will question my order, but our children mean the world to us both. If anything were to happen to them, I would not forgive myself and neither could he."

"I myself will travel under guard to Rivendell," Legolas replied. "We have been called for a reason I cannot speak of."

"Then you must go," she said quietly. "I will honor my agreement with you and your father and when you return, you can look upon this land and smile."

"I only hope that you speak the truth," he said, giving her a faint smile. And then he was gone, riding away on his horse. Most of the Elves remained and Siri broke out a feast. But inside she was resting uneasily. If Buffy had been there, would she have stood by Legolas and ridden with him to Rivendell, as many believed she would have, or would she have remained in the forest? It was a choice between love and honor and after spending many years believing that Buffy was capable of honor above love, she had no idea what Buffy would have done. And, seeing her small daughter giggling in her eldest brother's arms, Siri realized that she didn't either.

But they would be ready for whatever Sauron had for them to face. The Lady of Shadows had prepared them for that. And it was time to dish out a bit of the revenge the Dark Lord had been waiting so long to possess.

x-x-x

The dark mist refused to lift from the bed of the valley, the sharp rocks glinting red in the bloody sunset. Rising, the leader of the Nine gazed to the north, smiling a cold, bloodless smile. Turning, he saw his greatest accomplishment, the Black Elf, to his right. The figure remained, his dark hair and eyes turned north. Despite the torture and manipulation, he had yet to turn into an Orc and still retained his once handsome stature. It was true the Elf was coldly beautiful, but a fierce, priceless killer he remained as well. His small army would be essential in destroying the irksome woods to the north. Thranduil would never know what had struck his hand.

And to his left was Sauron's prize. There were only eight of these creatures and Sauron had yet to fulfill his promise of a hundred more. They were stooped figures, what once must have been hobbits or Stoors. They were hideous creatures, as black as the pathetic form of Gollum, with scaly skin, red eyes and a hiss for a breath. Their forked tongues snaked out from between bleeding lips. Sauron had created these beings in the Shadow for the intent purpose of having his third hand lead them into battle against the dreaded Eldar. But their hideousness made up for their cruelty, malice and will. They breathed flames, which crackled around him, warming his cold heart. Despite the fact that the Lady of Shadow no longer remained to lead them, the Lord of the Nazgûl would only have to take her place.

The pieces were set. The plan was in motion. They were just waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. Turning to the Black Elf, he handed over the reins to his once formidable stronghold before lifting on his winged creature and taking flight, turning south towards Mordor.

His Master was calling.

x-x-x

Tara felt her body ease back into consciousness just as she heard loud voices outside the doorway. One was Dawn's. The other sounded like Buffy.

"I can't believe you just took off to Los Angeles without telling anyone!" Dawn was shouting.

"It's not like it wasn't legal," Buffy replied sarcastically. "Besides, it was time to see Angel."

"Does it really matter?" Dawn screamed.

Buffy didn't answer. Tara had just opened the door and forced her face to assume a calm, relaxed expression. "Oh, I'm s-sorry," she said, quickly leaning to close the door.

"Don't bother," Dawn snapped, shoving Buffy aside as she walked down the hall to her bedroom and gave the door a heavy slam. Buffy seemed to recoil at the sound, her eyes meeting Tara's.

"I had to go," she said at last, as though trying to come up with a feeble excuse as to why she had just run from Tara.

Tara gazed at her silently before closing the door. The time had not come yet to even let Buffy in on what she knew. She heard Buffy sigh and walk downstairs. She heard the front door open and close. And then, before she could expect it, she heard a light tap-tap on the other side of the door she was holding closed.

"Tara? Tara, honey… whatever I've done, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Willow.

Tara slowly let out a long breath and pulled the door open, smiling an apologetic smile as she pulled Willow into the room. "I'm sorry too," she said, glancing down and tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "I didn't mean to be so rude, it's just that…"

"I get it," Willow said, attempting to smile as she took Tara's hand. "And it's okay."

But how could Tara explain to her that it wasn't okay anymore? How could she tell Willow what was really going on? How could she tell the woman she loved the truth?

Buffy walked out into the darkness, the inky chill soothing her jangled nerves. After she had left Lorne, feeling slightly freaked out, she had come across Cordelia again. And then Angel and the rest of his gang had to put their two cents in. It was all so very confusing. All she wanted to do was go home. She hadn't been alive long enough to appreciate this one. Thirty years was actually semi-permanent to her. She had belonged there.

She lifted her hands to massage her neck when she felt a presence approach. "I so don't want to deal with you right now."

"Sooner or later you're going to deal with me, pet."

"Spike…"

"I know when I'm not wanted or needed, but right now you look like you need to talk."

"I've been talking," she replied coldly. "That isn't the problem. You morons don't know how to listen."

"Did you ever learn?"

She smiled suddenly. "Took a while."

He let her walk a few more paces before he shouted out, "It wasn't Hell, was it?"

She stopped and half-turned back towards him. Her hands left her neck and fell limp to her sides. Turning, he saw her hazel eyes glistening in the moonlight. "No."

"Did you want to tell me about it?"

"What does it matter? You wouldn't believe me if I did."

"I might not, but I know how it feels to be ripped, torn from one world and sent to the next."

"It wasn't like that," Buffy said quietly. "Everyone thinks that just because I was dumped somewhere that it was Hell and I suffered and longed to be back here. I never once thought of this place. I didn't care if I ever saw it again. That world had enough problems to be getting along with. It didn't need a lost little girl!"

Spike placed his hands up, looking surprised. "You're right," he said quietly. "Someone has been pushing your buttons."

"What does it matter?" she moaned, turning away from him and stomping down the other direction. "You want to know what that world was like? You didn't know if you were going to live to see tomorrow. Every sunrise and sunset was a blessing because you didn't know what you could face between the darkness and the light. There was a war being fought between good and evil, not for a city and not just for a world. It was for history, for everything that mattered. There was more at stake. There was so much more that I can't even begin to tell you, because I just can't remember that now. It's hard for me to see what I've lost."

"How long?" he asked slowly. He remembered his original question. She had once said 'longer' when he had asked this before. But suddenly he had to know.

"Thirty years," she said honestly. "It was so different from living here. There was nothing that you count on here like cars, cell phones… adequate housing. But there was something you could count on. I wasn't the only chosen one anymore. There were others like me, willing to die to defend the world of good. And sometimes it took a sacrifice, like making yourself appear bad. But I was never evil. I didn't want that, no matter how much they wanted it for me. And…" she said, pursing her lips for the biggest revelation of all, "I was immortal. No matter what happened, no matter how bad it hurt or how much more they pushed… they couldn't kill me. And that's one gift I wouldn't want taken away. Can you imagine being able to push the boundaries of who you really are without having to worry about the mortal consequences?"

This wasn't the Slayer he had fallen in love with. This was someone else. The more he listened to her, the more he began to see that she truly didn't belong there.

Before they knew it, they were sitting outside the front door as Buffy stared at the sky.

"Thank you," she said after a long pause. "You're the first person who hasn't questioned my sanity or asked me to do stupid things like sing for my supper."

"Who made you--?"

"The point is," she said, cutting him off politely, "it means a lot that you're here now. I don't know what would've happened if that didn't get out. I wasn't from an evil land that kidnapped me. I was from someplace else. And I want to go back… home."

He saw the longing in her eyes and knew then that the Slayer he had loved was dead. Leaning over, he lifted her hand into his. "No problem," he said quickly. "You saved me once, I saved your sanity. We'll call it even."

She gently moved her hand away from his and stared outwards. "I'm going to bed," she said at last, getting up. Spike watched as she walked inside and closed the door. He could see her shadow moving upstairs and the different lights flickering on and off. At last, he saw the light in her bedroom snap off and sighed, reaching into his pocket for a cigarette. God, did he need one with women like her around!

Upstairs, Buffy found herself lying in bed for hours, unable to sleep. She knew that if she did, the nightmares would only start again. Watching her women die was one thing, but watching them succumb to torture, physical harm and death was another. Rolling onto her side, she reached into her nightstand and removed her Elvish clip. The small object fit perfectly in the palm of her hand and that alone was a comfort to her. She was just drifting off into an easy doze when the door suddenly sprang open. Buffy sat up, gasping as Tara stepped inside.

"We must speak," she said, holding up her hand. "Don't say a word. I can't stay long because the others might find out I'm here, but I had to come. The only problem is we don't have a lot of time."

x-x-x-x

In the next part… sacrifices are abound as both sides make significant contributions to the same promise.


	17. Part XVII

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas. I might as well point out that at this point, it will be _eventual_

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: T, by the new fanfiction standards. There is a little blood and gore, but that is about it. It should be suitable for anyone who has ever read Tolkien or watched the show.

**Revised Summary**: Buffy Summers had been given a new life and for thirty years she lived as the powerful, feared leader of a warrior clan of women… and then her friends pulled her out of Heaven. Now she lives in a world she no longer understands surrounded by people who cannot help her. Friendships will be tested and loyalties will be stretched to their limits but she will never rest until she fulfills her last promise and fights in the war she knows has come.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. At this point, we're at the same time as the Fellowship (or set partway through Return of the King, if you want specifics).

**Gratitudes**: And now comes the payoff…

_Sukera__ - I tried, really._

_XinnLajgin__ - Forgive me for the delay? At least I got one part right._

_Christy - Yes, it is. Darn that real life stuff._

_General Mac - Yes, she gets to go back. No, she cannot take her Scoobies with her. That would not be very fair for the others, would it?_

_Toniboo__ - All right.__ And, yes. _

_TortureofPersephone__ - If only that story could go on to that point. I have a feeling that this story is nearing its end. _

_vampy__ the chosen one - Thank you very much. And no, it would not seem right if she were to pretend everything is okay. From what she is used to, this is the exact opposite of what she is used to._

_candycanelane__ - thank you._

_Azzie__ - well, she is not exactly immortal as she is already dead, but it is a gift few possess. As for the song, it is something that I crafted myself, created with the tune of a song from a movie, I believe._

**Part Summary**: Sacrifices are made, alliances are won and families part as the greatest battle of their lives begins.

**Notes:** This is your payoff chapter. Not only does Buffy return to Middle Earth, but she returns in style. The timeline will take us to the attack from Dol Guldur on both Lothlórien and the Mirkwood Realm by Sauron as he also stages his attack on Minas Tirith. The rest of the Fellowship journey has already happened. Buffy has missed out on nearly ten years of life in Middle Earth, but she returns at a critical time… this is a two-part chapter with the next. I do hope to post the following chapter sometime next week. I just need time around school, work and family life.

x-x-x-x

**Part XVII**

x-x-x-x

"We don't have much time…"

That had been Tara's parting words the night before. Even as Buffy sat at the Magic Box with her feet upon the chair across from her and a book on her lap, she could only focus on the dire warning given by her unlikely ally the night before.

It didn't help that Dawn had been in tears when Buffy had outright demanded her sister go to school.

"You mean you _do_ care!" Dawn moaned, throwing her arms around her startled sister. "I think there's hope for you yet."

"I'm not kidding," Buffy had said sternly, giving her sister a dry look. "I'm not writing a note. And Willow's not your legal guardian. So go. I'm not going to have you be late."

Dawn had been giddy as she had skipped off. She had been babbling about shopping after school. She had babbled about doing a movie that weekend. She had even babbled about ordering pizza that Buffy wouldn't be disgusted to eat. Buffy could only sit and smile sadly as Dawn ran off to school. She felt slightly guilty in withholding the truth about what that night would really bring, but she didn't have much of a choice. She had to act as though everything were normal. She and Tara were the only ones that had a clue about what that night would bring.

Tara had received some message through whatever outlet she had that something big was about to go down. That news was delivered to her by the return of her former Watcher, Rupert Giles. For a moment, he could barely speak. The next thing she knew, she was being hugged as though there was no tomorrow. Only when he started gasping and complaining that his oxygen supply was running out did she let him go. After thanking her for her show of strength, he charged into a twenty minute long talk about how tonight was supposedly the night some vampire cult of some religious sect was set to steal something-or-other from a recently-dug gravestone that was quite near her own.

It was an irony of ironies.

After greeting both Anya and Willow, who were sitting inside the Magic Box waiting for something other than a dead-Buffy-back-to-life greeting and a doomsday speech, they launched into step two, which was the same intensive research projects that normally bored Buffy to tears. But today she picked up a book and actually attempted to read it. Flipping through the pages idly kept her mind on something other than the fact that tonight was the absolute worst night for _anyone _to show up and ruin her one chance to get back to the world she so belonged to.

"Are you all right, Buffy?"

"I'm good," she said dully, turning the page and staring at the middle of it, her eyes not taking anything in.

"You've been awfully silent… how have you been?"

"Alive and kicking."

"That's not what I've heard."

Buffy glanced up, her eyes meeting Willow's. Sure enough, the redhead shifted guiltily in her seat and looked pointedly at her book as she continued to search for something she likely knew wasn't there. "What do you know?" she asked coolly.

"I know you're not yourself and as someone who has been training you, I figured I would—"

"You think you know me?" she asked, sharply closing the book. Anya, who had been shuffling around with her feather duster, let out a small gasp as Buffy slammed the book on the table. "You know nothing," she hissed, rising and striding to her training area.

Exchanging an uncomfortable look with Willow, the former Watcher quickly followed.

"Buffy, I…"

"You can't possibly know what I've been through these past few months," she spat, turning to face him. When he saw her eyes, he saw something primal, something that chilled his heart to the core. This was something beyond his Slayer, because he had never seen this look in her eyes before, even when she had returned from the dead for the first time. "You know nothing," she repeated.

"Perhaps you would care to enlighten me," he said, quickly removing his glasses and setting them aside. "We need a square head on your shoulders tonight, Buffy. If this sect gets what they're after—"

"The world is doomed, blah, blah, blah," she retorted, snorting in mirthless laughter. "We all die, blah, blah… sing me a new story, Giles. I've been through this in this life and in my other one."

"Your… other life?" he asked lightly. One might assume he was just trying to correct her, but she knew better.

"Yeah, the other life that actually liked me and didn't expect me to fight vampire sects trying to find the Holy Grail," she growled. Her eyes were flashing again and he felt the goose-bumps on his arms rise. "This is pointless, Giles. We can sit here and verbally spar all afternoon and you still wouldn't get it."

Apparently he didn't. Something had changed with her. There was darkness around her that he rarely got to see. There was also something with her eyes, which seemed ageless, as though she had experienced a century in hell but came back perfectly normal. "Be ready," he said in a warning tone as he turned to leave. "And if you feel that it's beneath your holy feet… well, do it for the rest of us who would gladly throw ourselves off the tower given the chance."

"But you didn't, did you?" she asked, her voice breaking. He heard the rage as the door closed behind him. "Because that's always going to be my fate."

Heaving a heavy sigh, he collected her book and returned to his spot at the table. Behind him, the door opened and Tara entered, her arms full of books. Glancing around, she frowned. "Where's Buffy?"

Both Anya and Giles pointed to the training room. Looking politely puzzled, Tara dropped her books off at the table and hurried towards the door. After watching her disappear behind it, Anya moved to the table and took Buffy's abandoned chair. "I think she knows something."

Giles glanced up, looking wary. "Even if she did, it wouldn't help us out tonight."

"What about you? You have power."

"Yes," Giles said, throwing the book back onto the table. "Let us talk about your power."

Willow, who had been making shushing motions towards Anya let her hand fall to the side as her head dipped. Lifting her eyes, she met Giles' cold gaze and shrugged. "I did what I had to do."

"You rank, arrogant amateur," he grumbled as he gestured wildly to the abandoned books. "Does anything about her seem the normal person that went into the ground?"

"I did the best I could," she said in a firm tone. "I followed every direction, did every incantation…"

"Any fool… any idiot could see that that's not my Slayer," Giles said angrily, pushing his chair back. Sighing heavily, he turned his back on her. "I don't know what you've done, but that's not Buffy. The Buffy I knew would be out here, planning to take down this latest threat to our very security. She wouldn't be hiding in a hole trying to bury herself alive. You brought back a corpse, Willow. I don't know how you did it, but you did."

Willow was fighting back tears. First Tara and now Giles… this wasn't her fault! "Giles… I brought her back. Even if she's not herself… it's still her. Sometimes when I think I did the wrong thing, she'll look at me…" Her voice broke as she pressed a trembling hand to her watering eyes. "Giles… it is Buffy… she's just been through something so horrible that she can't deal with it on her own. We've tried to reach out to her. Tara's done everything she can to reach her… and I think it worked."

Giles reached for his chair and sat down, calmly reaching for the book. He had nothing left to say to the tearful witch, no kind words of comfort. Anya just crossed behind the redhead and patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. "There, there," she said in a voice of mock cheer. "Even if you brought back a psychotic former has-been… at least she still looks like our Buffy."

Willow just sighed and buried her face in her hands.

Inside the dark training room, Tara was explaining that evening to Buffy.

"Well apparently you can't resurrect me into my own time," Buffy said staunchly, "because there's going to be some doomsday vampire cult searching for some mystical whatzit and I have to stop it."

"We can't delay the transformation," Tara said firmly. "To do so would tip the balance in this world. You're needed there, now, more than ever."

Buffy scoffed. "What are we going to tell the others? Sorry, you had to kill me so good luck trying to fight the doom and gloom?"

"No," Tara said simply, "we'll just have to resort to a little… timing. You'll have to deal with the cult. I mean… I could do something magical, but if I did, it could push Willow over the edge."

Buffy nodded gravely. "She's already looping close to crossing that line as it is," Buffy muttered darkly. "Is there any hope for her? Any hope at all?"

Tara nodded. "There's always hope. But let's take care of you, first. We need to be at your gravestone at the time I marked. The transformation will begin even if you're not there. Even if stale air is transformed back to Arda, at least I'll know it worked."

"You must have done something huge to do this," Buffy said tentatively.

"There are some of us who would move mountains and drain oceans just to get you back where you belong," Tara replied. "Many died when you never returned to aid them. In the future, all will be gone. All will be forsaken. All will go dark. All will just fade away. The side of good will endure, but the cost will be too great. There is much for you to do, so much. And the time has come now… sooner rather than later. If we wait too long, it'll be far too late. And sometime… hopefully soon, I can show you what I mean."

"Oh, great," Buffy sighed, dropping her head against the wall and lightly bouncing it on the cold steel reinforcement. "Fight the apocalypse, go back in time and fight another one."

"You are a great defender of those who have none," Tara reminded her. "It's time to protect the weak from the strong. There is darkness coming… the darkness so strong it can swallow the world. Time and time again it fails, but not without consequence. It's time for you to return and protect yours from that price. The cost may be your life here, but if you remain the balance between good and evil will be tipped and evil will fight back. You're damned if you stay and… there is hope if you do not."

"Let's do it," Buffy moaned. "But I don't want Dawn to know. I don't want any of them to know."

"Giles is already suspicious," Tara warned her. "I could see his face. He knows that you're not yourself."

"And he'll blame Willow, as I have done so many times," Buffy replied bitterly. "She brought me back from a place I knew I belonged. She captured me from a world that needed me."

"She didn't know," Tara whispered. "She couldn't have known."

"The fact is, she'll never be sorry for it," Buffy replied, shaking her head angrily. "She'll never be sorry about ripping me from Heaven…" Her voice cracked and she sighed again. "I don't want Dawn involved."

"We'll leave her with Spike," Tara nodded. "He'll look after her."

"He knows," Buffy added. "He knows everything."

"You confided in him?" Tara asked in disbelief. "You would rather confide with the evil undead than your own friends and family who love you?"

"In his own twisted way, Spike loves me, but it doesn't matter," Buffy said, shrugging. "I feel nothing for him."

"It's the other one," Tara surmised, smirking.

"It's not him either," Buffy said with a dry look. "No, it's just… how can I love him when I feel like we've been separated for thirty-odd years?"

"Buffy…" Tara whispered.

"How could I love either of them? I can understand why Spike cares… but the other one? I don't know if he'd even remember me. I've been gone for weeks now. That has to be years in that time… so many years."

"I don't think you're as forgotten as you may think," Tara replied slowly. "Sometimes people may surprise you."

Buffy gave her a tired smile. "I think I've just about had it with surprises," she murmured. "Oh, I just want to get this day over with. I just want everything to turn out the way it's supposed to be. Tonight, I want to know that I'll be comforted because I'm going back to a place I consider home. Tonight, I _am _going home."

x-x-x

Dinner that night was more intense than anything Buffy had experienced since her return. Slowly spooning boiled vegetables in her mouth, she watched her friends and sister quickly eat. Dawn was rambling about everything from math homework to this fantasy shopping trip she must have been dreaming up. Pushing her peas on her plate, she watched Dawn quietly as she engaged Giles in excited conversation. It seemed as though everyone was happy to have this man back in their lives.

_He'll watch over them, _Buffy thought, comforted by this thought. He'd been somewhat of glue in the past. She just had to believe he would be that same glue again. Turning, she excused herself from the table and went upstairs. She heard the silence in her wake, but it didn't bother her. It never really bothered her all that much anyway.

A hot shower seemed perfect. The warm water eased some of the tension in her back and shoulders as she ran her fingers through her dripping hair. The steam was intoxicating her with the scents of lavender and vanilla, both scents she had yet to find in Mirkwood, but scents that she happened to appreciate more. Everything in this moment had more meaning as she knew she would never feel the same way again as she felt now. She sponged off her shoulders, inhaling the deep aroma and letting her neck fall back. Water sprinkled into her face and she shook her head, the sparkling arc of water spraying in the opposite direction. Laughing, she turned the faucets off and stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a warm towel. Even in the steamy bathroom felt relaxing as she stood in front of the vanity, her hand wiping away the fog. The reflection in the mirror was fuzzy, as though looking at herself from within a prism. She took great care in toweling herself dry and spreading the warm, scented lotion on her frame.

Inside her bedroom, which was distinctly colder, she quickly dressed as she realized she'd been dawdling. Pulling on her coat and tucking a few things inside the pocket, she hurried for the steps. Downstairs she heard voices in the living room. Pausing on the bottom step, she finished buttoning her coat just as the doorbell rang.

Dawn met her in the entry, glancing at her sister's attire. "Going out?" she chirped brightly as she pulled the door open. Seeing Spike on the other side seemed to shake her slightly as the vampire pushed his way between the two Summers' women and inside the house. "What's going on?"

"We're going on patrol," Buffy said firmly, stalking past Dawn towards her makeshift weapon's chest. Opening the lid, she tucked a stake inside her coat pocket and added a dagger to her boot. Xander and Willow immediately went to her side, Xander reaching for a battle axe strapped to the top of the box.

"How bad is it?" For the first time in a long while, Dawn's voice shook in fear.

"You're staying here," Buffy replied matter-of-factly as she closed her chest and lifted her spare stake in her hand.

"What? Like I'm twelve?" Dawn protested, quickly rushing to cut her sister off as her so-called friends moved around her, trooping one-by-one outside.

"You're staying here," Buffy repeated, speaking slowly and enunciating carefully. "I'm not going to put your life in danger. Not again. Spike, watch her."

"You can count on me, love," Spike said, watching as Buffy turned her back, the front door slamming behind her.

Dawn sighed as she turned on Spike. "You knew about this?"

"There was some cult thing tonight looking for some mystical key to unlock some treasure toll," Spike said in a bored voice, turning from the door. "Nothing the old gang can't handle."

Dawn didn't look convinced as she stared at the door, glowering out the window. She could see her sister and her sister's friends already moving away.

x-x-x

_Mirkwood__Forest_

_Spring 3019_

"My Lady," an exhausted voice called out. Siri turned to see four women on horseback riding quickly towards her position. "We have word from the rear guard at the south post nearest Dol Guldur," a young woman gasped as she dismounted and approached her lady, bowing her head slightly. Siri watched as the woman attempted to catch her breath before continuing. "Their word is that the Nazgûl have left Dol Guldur and have headed south towards Gondor."

"The Elf was right," Siri said, mildly impressed with the strange being's intuition.

"There is more," the woman said, taking deep gulping breaths of fresh air. "They spoke of an unforeseen enemy with the ability to set fire with a single breath. They also spoke of one that they have seen, but have heard from the Orcs in passing… one sent to lead them. They will strike soon and they will strike hard."

"The order has already been given for the town to be deserted," Siri informed her. "I have sent Jarrod and all of those who are able north towards the old caves under the mountains."

"If they do not freeze to death, those hideous creatures that breathe fire will kill them," the young woman replied humorlessly.

"I will not let it come to that," Siri said, laying her hand on the woman's shoulder. "I will do all I am able to protect this city and all of those that live within it. I'm asking that the rear guard be withdrawn and sent back to the north. We will need all the help we can get."

"I will pass the appropriate orders," the woman replied, nodding.

Siri watched as she left. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the last few stragglers in the distance, working their way north. The ground was still thick with snow and small flakes were blowing with the wind. Brushing her hair aside, she watched as one large catapult machine after another was rolled out the eastern gates. A large group comprised of both men and women were gathering arrows into their quivers. Even more were at the smithy, sharpening their swords.

Siri's hand fell onto the girth of her father's old sword. There was much power beneath her touch. Her father had died using this sword. Buffy had fought many battles with this blade. And now that power had been given back to her. She walked quickly over to where her forces were gathering in full strength and drew her captains closer. It was time to set up a defense, one that could make or break their future.

x-x-x

"Where did you say the jewel was?"

"In the bottom of that coffin," Anya squealed, leaping towards Xander as a vampire pirouetted into dust before her. "Oh, dear."

"Well, do you think you could get it?" Buffy asked breathlessly as she sailed in front of them, only halting her vicious progress by catching herself on a passing gravestone.

"Maybe," Anya mumbled. "Could you at least get them first?"

"Anya! For God's sake, just do it!" Giles muttered. The clash of swords sounded behind them as Xander leapt over, his battle axe flashing in the midnight aura. Anya groaned audibly as she bent down and, screwing her face with utmost disgust, reached around the hollowed bones feeling for the silver 'x'-shaped jewel on the bottom. Her progress was halted by a cold hand that suddenly stopped atop hers.

Screeching as though it would actually accomplish something, Anya stumbled backwards, falling into Xander, who nearly fell onto his blade. Jumping purposefully over them, Buffy bent down and pushed the vampire away from the crypt before executing a perfect roundhouse kick that sent him spiraling into the darkness. "Will you two quit playing around?" she snapped to Xander and Anya, who kept falling over one another as they attempted to get up. "Get that jewel out."

Another figure appeared as Willow was suddenly standing at her side, looking worried. "Buffy…?"

"I can't handle any more screw ups right now, so just keep it to yourself," Buffy moaned. "Just get it done."

Willow opened her mouth to argue, but Buffy was taking off after the vampire, her golden hair flying behind her. A second later, she was gone. Turning, she saw Anya scramble towards the coffin and gaze inside. "Crap," she muttered.

"What now?" Willow asked in a small voice.

"That… that evil undead guy took the 'x'," Anya whimpered, scampering back to her feet. "Oh, she's going to be pissed."

"We'll worry about that later," Willow said, turning around. "Right now, I'm thinking up a protection spell that will—"

"Willow, no more magic," Giles said from behind them, his sword in hand. He sounded out of breath and there was a distinct bruise forming on his lower jaw. "The others will be headed towards the Hellmouth. We should hurry."

"Giles, a spell could repel them," Willow said, hurrying off after him. "At the very least it could…"

Anya and Xander watched silently as the other two hurried off.

"As if things couldn't get worse," Anya muttered under her breath.

Xander was looking around, concern filling his gaze. "Uh… where's Tara?"

Across town, a small bag was dropped in front of a gravestone. Tara slowly hitched up her skirt and got to her knees, pulling seven white stones from her bag and placing them in a circle in front of the old marker. Despite the fact the ground had been torn up, it had been patted back down and looked depressingly like a cemetery. She set the stones down and reached for her bag, removing a small, flat box. Inside was a sapling of a tree. Pulling it out, she began to plant it in the center of the circle. She knew she was unprepared for the chaos that was erupting around her. But Buffy only had a few minutes left…

Dust from the vampire took to the wind as Buffy claimed the jewel, flipping it into her hands. "It's just a stupid piece of costume bling," she said with a triumphant sigh as she tucked it in the waistband of her pants. "It's nothing really to—"

"Buffy, behind you!"

At hearing the unfamiliar voice, Buffy spun around. Instead of seeing one foe, she saw dozens. They were all advancing on her. Suddenly aware of her proximity to the old high school, now completely aware that the new Sunnydale High was being rebuilt from the bottom up, she took off running towards the sound of the voice, but found herself face-to-face with someone she never thought she'd see again.

"Down!"

Buffy threw herself onto the ground as a flurry of arrows gracefully arched towards the snarling, advancing vampires. At least a third of the front line fell into dusty spirals from the first volley, and three separate bows were lowered.

"Let me help you with that," an unfamiliar voice said, taking her hand and helping her to her feet. "What's going on?"

"Trying to keep this from them," she said, holding up the ruby 'x'. "But I…"

"Angel, what are you doing here?" another voice asked as Willow and Giles came running from the left. They both looked irritated and out of breath.

"Protecting the world, doing the right thing," he said as he joined her. "Got a call this morning."

She looked up at him, realizing what he meant. "Oh," she uttered.

"We'll reminisce later," Cordelia said, lifting her sword in her bony hands. "Right now, I feel like getting my Slayer on."

It was six against about thirty, which would have been terrible odds, had Xander and Anya not distracted the group from behind. Instead of facing thirty vampires head-on, they scattered.

"Crap," Buffy moaned, taking off after the main group. After exchanging a dark look, Angel and Cordelia followed her.

Willow and Giles quickly met with Xander and Anya before they parted into pairings, this time Willow was going with Anya. The four took off after the group. The tall, good-looking African American man and the former British Watcher just glanced at one another as the chaos seemed to spread outside their little bubble.

"Let's do it, English," Gunn said with a smile as the two burst back into battle, cutting down the few vampires that remained.

Stuck inside the house, Dawn glanced outside the living room window as Spike paced the living room. The look on his face was getting stranger and stranger.

"Want to go to bed, Bit?" he asked her uncertainly.

"I'm waiting for them to come home," Dawn said stubbornly, refusing to retract her gaze.

Spike looked as though something were tearing him apart as he sat down, glancing up at Dawn. "She's not coming home, pet."

"She… who?" Dawn asked, distracted.

"Got you to turn away," Spike said with his slow smirk.

"There's something else, isn't there?" she asked, frowning slightly as Spike glanced away. She felt as though something had collapsed in her lungs. "Spike…?"

"I… I can't, Dawn," he said, watching as she stood up, looking alarmed. "I'm sorry."

Just looking into his face, a face of a man in love with the Slayer, was enough to send Dawn into histrionics. "What do you mean you're sorry?" she asked, her voice gaining in both power and fury. "What the hell aren't you telling me?"

Spike couldn't reply. Ever since Buffy had told him what was going on that afternoon, he had sworn to her that he wouldn't say a word. He wasn't going to go back on his word now. Not for the world.

Dawn it seemed had had enough. Growling in frustration, she stomped towards the door and flung it open. "If you won't tell me what you're talking about, then I'm going to find Buffy and I'm going to bring her home." There was a hint of a sob in her voice as she ran into the night.

Knowing the danger that Dawn was facing, Spike was after her in a split second. "No, Dawn, don't… Dawn!"

One vampire went flying as an axe was whipped through the air, conveniently beheading the undead creature and as it stumbled into dust, a hand reached out to catch the blade. From behind Xander, Buffy charged onwards, kicking one vampire before staking a second. A third growled and attempted to jump her, but she ducked and the vampire rolled over her back. Once on her feet again, she sent the third vampire into the first. Cordelia was mysteriously there, staking both vampires before they could retaliate.

"Thanks," Buffy grinned.

"Anytime!" Cordelia smiled. "Anything I can do?"

"Take this," Buffy said, tossing the silver 'x' towards the other woman. "Just keep it safe until the evil undead are… dead."

From her position on the ground, Tara suddenly glanced up, her hand flat in front of her face. A small beam of white light began to dance across her palm. "It's time," she said in a soft, echoing tone.

From the white stones a pure light began to circle before positively exploding into the air.

There was a sharp gasp from the vampires converging on the cemetery. They nearly backed over one another in their haste to escape the powerful white light. As the glow spread over Buffy's face, she suddenly felt a great pull in the opposite direction.

"Buffy!" she heard Giles yell from somewhere to her right.

"Go," she heard her own voice shout. "Just go."

As the others went after the vampire army, Buffy scaled the fence and dropped to the other side. She was nearly out of time.

Dawn had stopped, panting as she saw the white light directly forward. Knowing that this couldn't mean anything good, she continued onwards.

Buffy found Tara at the edge of her gravestone. There was white light emanating from Tara's outstretched hand. "What do I do?" she asked, turning to face Tara. The woman looked up at her and smiled. Buffy was completely taken aback when she saw the immortal glow from behind Tara's eyes. Though she was concentrating hard on whatever it was she was trying to do, she managed to tip her head towards the small circle set with seven white stones.

"Seven stones," Buffy whispered as she walked towards the circle. She pressed her hand through the circle of light and felt a great charge spread through her body. The ordeal was almost over.

"Buffy!"

The scream came from somewhere beyond the graveyard. She whipped around and saw a group of vampires chasing two figures. Knowing that she had to help, she took a step towards them.

"No!"

It was an echoing cry. She saw Tara trembling on the ground on her other side. "Tara?"

"Please, go… can't hold it much longer," she moaned, keeping her hand outstretched. "The others…"

She heard the sound of metal on metal and relented, turning back to the circle. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside.

There was a soft pop as Buffy stood upright. Her breath was coming in shorter, more rapid gasps now. Tara was now leaning on the ground, barely managing to hold the link together. "See you on the other side," the other woman said with a serene smile.

"Buffy!"

Buffy couldn't move suddenly, paralyzed in the white light that was slowly draining her.

"What's going on? What is she doing? What are you doing to her?"

"Tara! What's wrong? What the heck is going on here?"

"Buffy! Buffy, can you hear us? Buffy?"

"Tara?" Willow asked, watching as Giles, Xander and Anya were gaping at Buffy. Tara was on her knees, one hand outstretched. There was a small twirl of white light in her hand and it seemed to be feeding the endless circle that was surrounding Buffy. "Tara?" Seeing what Tara was trying to do and suddenly understanding something that she couldn't possibly begin to comprehend, she turned and linked her fingers around Tara's loose hand. Instantly the white light grew stronger. Buffy's chin suddenly snapped up, her hazel eyes glowing white as the light began to surround her. A slight hum came from the circle of white stones.

"I can't break the link," Tara sighed, her strength renewed with Willow's solid strength by her side. "The link… will send her home."

"Home?" Anya asked. "You mean she's not home?"

"Buffy!"

"Dawn!"

The younger sister came pelting out of nowhere, shoving Xander and Anya into Giles as she came to a skidding stop in front of the white cylinder of light. "Buffy!" She reached out to touch the light.

"No!" Willow suddenly shouted. "Don't!"

Dawn looked startled as a figure came up behind her. Two strong arms wrapped around her frame and pulled her back.

"What are you doing to her?" she screamed shrilly as Spike held onto her, despite Dawn's best efforts to bite, kick and scratch at him. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Tara?" Giles asked.

"I'm sending her back," Tara said, closing her eyes.

"Buffy!" Dawn cried, her voice a half-sob.

Buffy blinked then, her catatonic spell broken. "Dawnie?"

"Noooo," Dawn moaned as she flung Spike away and ran towards the light. "Buffy, no… you can't leave me… not again!"

"No choice," Buffy said, smiling serenely. "Life at stake… my girls are waiting for me."

"Your… girls?" Willow asked, her voice trembling as Tara righted herself. Though their hands remained linked, the power was coming almost solely from Tara now.

"My children are waiting for me," Buffy said, her voice sounding misty and far away. "I'm going home to them. I'm going to Heaven, Dawnie. I'm going back."

Willow's eyes widened as the realization that she had pulled her best friend out of Heaven slammed into her. "I… I didn't…"

"I'm not," Buffy said, darkness in her voice. "But I forgive you… I only hope you can forgive me…" She looked at Dawn as her body seemed to fade away. "Good bye."

There was the sound of an explosion and Buffy seemed to vanish into thin air. As the white light began to recede, Tara got to her feet, pressing her hand into the glowing circle. "My gift…" she added. As the light disappeared completely and the stones turned to dust, Tara fainted backwards.

"Oh my God… Tara!"

There was the sounds of hurried footsteps as the four from the Los Angeles club suddenly arrived, looking triumphant. "All gone!" Gunn said, exchanging a handshake with Cordelia. "All dust and we still got the bling."

As Willow and Anya turned to help Tara up, Dawn stared at the place where her sister had been just a few seconds before.

"Where… where did she go?"

x-x-x

_Mirkwood__Forest_

_March 3019_

There was a small flash of white light as a body floated from the sky, landing hard on the snow-covered ground. Buffy gasped as she felt the chill from the snow. Everything seemed to be a blur as she looked up, all around, panic-stricken. As the white light closed from above her, plunging her into darkness, Buffy tripped backwards, falling into a tree. Deep breaths seemed to be in order as she struggled to regain control of reality. Something had happened. Something was wrong.

There was a loud cry, two thudding crashes and the acrid smell of smoke. Turning her head, she saw a hazy red glow on the horizon. Biting her lip, she struggled a few steps forward, only to collide with another tree. Falling onto her backside, she groaned. The snow was cold and her hands were not covered.

As though she had been expecting it, she heard the sound of a soft voice inside her head. She suddenly felt her old confidence return. Her vision returned, including her Slayer-enhanced night vision. She stood up as the chill from the cold night fell away. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her only weapon – her stake.

Flinging herself from tree to tree, she headed towards the misty red light, flickering over the treetops. She boots glided harmlessly off the top of the soft snow pack as though she were lightless. Something had happened to force her to suddenly wake up, instead of facing a three-month groggy dream that had been Sunnydale. But she didn't have time to think about that. She heard the sounds of a familiar voice through the trees.

"Siri," she breathed, a smile brightening her face as she paused.

But the sound soon disappeared at the dark growling she heard a few hundred paces back. Turning her head, she saw two Orcs approaching, a torch held in the air between them.

"Could have sworn I saw a light," one of them growled, looking around eagerly. The second, with a runty, pinched-look about him, grumbled.

"Must have been those delicious Elves," he said, picking a bit in his black tooth.

Buffy felt as though her lungs had collapsed. The Elves had been attacked? These Orcs had eaten them?

Without thinking and without feeling anything, she pulled out her stake and spun, flinging herself at the two Orcs. One was quickly downed, the stake going straight through its skull. The second attempted to run, but she was must faster. A single kick felled it to the ground. After tipping it with her toe, the Orc was flung in a graceful arch to a tree. With a sickening thud it fell to the ground and moved no more. Bending down, she retrieved one of the axes the Orc had had with him.

"You must have missed it," she said, grinning as she turned back around. The clearing was slightly ahead. Seeing the fiery haze above her, she turned her head to follow the sound of metal clinking against metal. "Siri!" she shouted into the night.

Her voice was drowned out by the sound of a low hiss and a menacing growl. Turning around, she saw something that made her heart stop. More than a dozen furry creatures were converging on her. In the distance, a single figure stood upon a hill, a graceful bow arched across his back. Her Slayer sense tingled as it usually did when she sensed eminent danger. She knew that this graceful being wasn't Legolas or any of the Elves she had befriended. This was something else.

One of the hideous creatures snorted and a stream of fire lit the dead Orc at its front claws.

"Crap," she muttered, backing into a tree. She had heard the sounds of a vicious fight behind this tree-line, and if it was Siri, she owed her daughter the time to escape. Besides, she thought as she faced down this dark creature, she had a feeling that this was something she needed to take care of first.

But her first problem was the advancing guard of those growling creatures, sprouts of fire four feet long emanating from their snarling snouts. Feeling as though her heart weighed at least a ton, she pushed her hand outwards.

There was only one thing she could do.

She screamed.

The sound that came back was a howl that sounded all too eerily familiar to her. The creatures lifted their heads to face her. The Dark Elf on the hill smirked as he began to draw towards her, his hand slipping around the hilt of his curved sword.

Behind her, Siri turned at the cry. "I thought she said they had gone to the south!" She made a motion to the woman next to her, ordering her to sound a retreat for fear of the Nazgûl in this one-sided battle thusfar.

Buffy's cry cut off in alarm as she saw the advancing creatures. Screaming the shadow's call hadn't been the most intelligent thing, she thought. "Nice… evil monster thingies," she said, eyeing them nervously. "I promise I'll feed you a nice dead Elf if you leave me alone."

One of the creatures leapt at her, snapping jaws with bleeding fangs.

"Oh," she gasped, pressing her back to a tree. "So you want to play rough, huh?"

Despite her surging confidence, she was stuck with a dented, dull Orc axe and her only other weapon had been driven through the cerebral cortex of her enemy. Knowing that she had to buy precious time at the cost of a few limbs, well, she was willing to do that.

Otherwise, they were all doomed.

x-x-x-x

To be continued…

x-x-x-x

The next part… Buffy returns to the assault on the Mirkwood Forest as human and Elvish allies are reunited for a battle under the trees…


	18. Part XVIII

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas. I might as well point out that at this point, it will be _eventual._

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: T, by the new fanfiction standards. If blood and gore bother you, this should still be all right to read.

**Revised Summary**: Buffy Summers had been given a new life and for thirty years she lived as the powerful, feared leader of a warrior clan of women… and then her friends pulled her out of Heaven. Now she lives in a world she no longer understands surrounded by people who cannot help her. Friendships will be tested and loyalties will be stretched to their limits but she will never rest until she fulfills her last promise and fights in the war she knows has come.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship.

**Gratitudes**: Despite the fact the last chapter may have thrown for a loop, I'm still grateful to all of you who have read it.

_Kanikan - Well... I know my Buffy is a bit off. That was one of the problems with this chapter. It explores her role as 'just as Slayer' versus her role of 'a Slayer and a ruler'. Though she gave up her rights to rule, she knows her people need her. I think the difference is, her family extends beyond Dawn in Sunnydale; she has two women she rose as daughters from when they were quite young and now she knows they are in danger and she also knows she has the power to stop this danger. As for the heartlessness, it wasn't entirely so. It will have serious implications of her future in ME because she is going to feel like she left someone behind instead of feeling as though she just dropped out of the sky. Thirty years sans Dawn will get someone to hope that Dawn has a better life. To be with her again and then be parted possibly forever. It kind of makes you think that there was some higher power involved with her longing to return, does it not? In any case, thank you for your thoughts on my inconsistencies. I am glad you are enjoying the writing, however. _

_General Mac - of course._

_Toniboo - Oh, some reactions will be priceless. It was so much fun to write a few of them. As for your question, see my little note a few paces down. The current answer is they will have a limited space._

_vampy the chosen one - The only reason ME is her "true" home is because she was there longer than she was on her own Earth. Thirty years versus about twenty. And thank you for your nice compliments!_

_XinnLajgin - I was always going to send her back... it was just a matter of when. And she is back for good._

_Tap Dancing Widow - I really had no real good way to let Dawn down easily. It would have been difficult for Dawn to face either way. That is why I am considering a sequel as an answer to your first question. As for your second, the stories will only intersect a few paces longer._

_Irismoon – it may be impossible to explore __Tara__'s heritage at this point, but there is a partial explanation at the end of this chapter… and as sort of a hint, she is not related to Galadriel. _

_Damia – Enjoy the read._

_Athene Saile – As this story is nearing its end, it would be impossible to explore her place in this world, but it would make for a good sequel, along with other things worth exploring. _

_Moon, gates, slaying – Well, thank you very much for the comments. I apologize for the lack of B/L interaction in this chapter, but I do hope to make up for it in the next part. _

_Lady Katanya – There is much that could happen and only some that will. I hope you like the end of this story._

**Part Summary**: Sacrifices are made, alliances are won and families part as the greatest battle of their lives begins.

**Notes:** Something about the last chapter… it has set up a potential storyline that may be explored in a sequel. Because this story is almost over, the implications of what happened in the last chapter won't come to light. I was thinking of doing a companion piece to this story, because there a lot of things that could be explored. Last chapter was one of about four choices I had and I think I made the right one. I think you'll soon see why. This chapter I am scared to death to release because this is a major battle chapter, with major action and what I might call extravagant energy. I hope you like it.

x-x-x-x

**Part XVIII**

x-x-x-x

_Mirkwood__Forest_

_Spring 3019_

The snarling creatures were getting closer. Buffy felt a slight chill as she gazed at their swelling numbers; there had to be at least twenty of them now. She kept her hand up, but soon realized it just presented a tempting target for one of these creatures to latch onto. She attempted to back away, but felt the cold trunk behind her, the winter's chill seeping into her coat and her thin, shiny top. If only she had been more prepared before taking a little leap back in time!

There was another problem that soon presented itself. She saw the Elf moving stealthily towards her. He wanted her to see him. He wanted her to see her adversary. She had begun her journey into this world by battling these creatures. It would only make perfect sense that she would face her re-entry in this world by fighting the same.

Before she could react to these two very near threats, she heard a loud boom in the distance. The whistling sound that followed sounded rather familiar. Turning, she backed into the trees just as a large, flaming bomb soared over the trees and landed between the two near foes. As the large object skimmed the tips of the trees, they broke off, showering the earth with blackened tips upon the newly-fallen snow. It provided a stark contrast, as nearly the one between an immortal Shadow fighting for goodness and the dark Elf placed in this world by evil. As they eyed one another over the flaming object over the howls of burning hounds, she held her breath as she moved amongst the trees. She could feel his eyes follow. She wanted him to follow. Though she was without a weapon of any sort to use, she had to do something.

Hearing the sounds of more flaming balls being released from their catapults, Buffy kept to the trees as she saw two more flaming objects far overhead and heard the distant sound of their descent. It sounded like thunder, but it was enough to prompt her into action.

The Elf decided to spring first, but she was ready. He leapt over the lines of flames, the hounds growling as he passed between them. His gloved hand brought forth a long, deadly sword which reflected brightly from the snow. Buffy placed her hands by her side and let out a long, pent-up breath. Already she felt calm. She felt whole again.

He swung out at her and she twisted easily from his grasp. As he swung behind him, she dropped and rolled under his parry, chuckling as she snapped back to her feet. Turning to gaze at her reproachfully with those eyes, she felt a slight shiver in her spine. His eyes had no depth to them whatsoever. There was no light. There was only malice. This Elf had known torture and had seen death unlike so many Elves. She thought that they didn't understand it. This one seemed to get it. And that thought alone frightened her.

He struck out again and she executed a quick kick to push the blade from her side, sending him off-balance. As he retaliated with a sharp blow, she felt her body fly gracefully backwards until she slid into a tree and moved to the ground. The snow was cold on her face as she pushed the crystals from her eyes, getting to her feet. The Elf was waiting for her. His next two swings were one after another, sending her flipping backwards and then leaping sideways. As she attempted to move from this last parry, the tip of his sword sliced into her coat. She felt the cold blade nick her shoulder. Turning with accusing eyes, she gazed at her wound before lifting her chin to face her enemy.

The Elf staggered backwards at her first thrust outwards. His sword went spinning away during their second. As another flaming ball whistled less than twenty feet above their heads and landed in the trees behind the Elf, he fell to the ground at her perfectly executed roundhouse. He was back on his feet as quickly as she had been and pushed out, catching her wounded arm and twisting her to the ground. She lifted her left leg and nudged him from behind, sending him spiraling over her shoulders and into the field, rolling head over heels until he landed in what she was quick to deem no-man's land. When she rushed down to greet him again, he gazed at her with eyes full of stunning clarity.

"If you destroy me, the darkness will take you," he sneered as he recoiled from another solid hit to his coldly fair face.

"I don't think it will," she said cheerfully, using a left hook this time and watching as his head spun.

"You will have no choice in this matter," he replied, catching her opposing right hook and sending her off balance. "They will fight to the very last, until everyone you love and care for lies dead in this ravine."

Her next hit had more force behind it. Knowing that he was goading her into an easy victory, he smiled up with cracked, bloody lips. "I will kill," she snapped, leaping backwards as he attempted to stand up, "every single one of your _stupid _minions if I have to. And I will get you." There was a dark, hungry look on her face now. He smiled again and felt another solid hit. He didn't break underneath her hold. He was quite beginning to enjoy this fight, despite his lack of any feeling in his face.

"Nay, lady," he replied, catching her speeding fist and crushing it in his strong grasp. He heard her inhale sharply as he bent her fingers sharply back and snapped them. She didn't cry out, but kept a reproachful watch on him. "In the end, this darkness will consume you."

"I'm the one darkness fears the most," she said, hints of anger in her tone as he snapped back another of her fingers. She didn't cry out. She didn't even blink as he took her entire arm and wrenched it far backwards with such speed and agility that her body recoiled, landing hard on the ground. As he twisted her arm up behind her and brought his hand to her fragile throat, he thought about how easy it would be to squeeze the life from this pathetic being. A Lady of Shadow, truly? She was little more than a weak, twisted woman with a mindset of greatness that will never come.

Even as she felt his cold hand close around her throat, his palm pressing against her chin, she knew she had to act. Sharply, she brought her head back, their skulls colliding as he fell backwards, stumbling over the trees and landed sharply on his backside. Spying a glint of silver on her ankle, she lifted her sodden pants leg and was stunned to see a silver dagger held in its holder strapped to the top of her boot. Removing her new weapon, she held it in her hand and turned to the Elf rising. Holding the knife out of sight, she advanced on him. There was a cry in the distance. Above her head, the faint hint of dawn was approaching.

"You are little more than a child," the Elf replied callously as he moved around her. She turned to follow him, her knife hidden in her injured hand beneath her coat sleeve. She was going to be careful before striking. He was most dangerous now as his face was beginning to bruise and blood flowed freely from his cracked lip and a deep cut over his eye from where he'd struck the tree. He moved behind her. She let him. As he came at her from behind, his arm looping around her neck and lifting her roughly, her feet flying into the air, she withdrew the blade and as she pushed her own momentum forward, they staggered downhill. As they separated, she turned her wrist and sank her dagger into his chest.

She heard him inhale as he fell away from her. She spun around, keeping hold of the knife. He lifted those ageless eyes to meet hers with a knowing look, but seeing the resilience on her face confused him. Surely by now she should have been taken by the darkness… right? Surely by now, she would have been his…

She twisted the blade as she pushed it out. As he moved back, his hands clutching his deep wound, he glanced up at her with a face filled with betrayal and confusion. For a moment as she stood there, clutching the bloody blade, she pitied him. The lies that Mordor must have passed to him for his allegiance…

Hearing the snarling pack behind her, she lifted her hand and glanced behind her to see the large number of grumbling beings. Slowly, she stepped back and gestured them forward. "Have at it," she said under her breath as the creatures practically tripped over one another in their haste to get forward. Even as they attacked their former master, she didn't hear him cry out once. A tense smile graced her face as she cleansed the dagger in the snow, her bare fingers wiping away every last trace of immortal blood. One of the being snorted and the Elf was quickly consumed by flame. Slipping her dagger back into its holder on her ankle, she calmly walked over and lifted the Dark Elf's curved sword. "How I envy you," she said, speaking to the now-deceased Elf as he was dragged by the creatures deeper into the woods. "At least you got the easy way out."

She turned to head back into the woods when she heard the distinct sound of an Orc horn some paces behind her. Knowing that she had little time to spare, she moved into the woods at a brisk run, sword in hand.

A moment later, she heard an answering horn.

x-x-x

"Volley!" a voice shouted out. Quickly half-dozen straps were released as the flaming balls were released into the air, sailing towards the large Orc army heading from the south. From the north, the men of the village stood behind their leader, her women paced around her. The archers were standing just downhill, readying their bows for the first onslaught. The main regiment of her army was still behind them, left in what remained of the village after those horrible fire-breathing creatures had been set loose within. They had since left since the call of the Nazgûl and for this, Siri was most grateful. They had taken out a round dozen by the time she had even noticed them. They were lethal, deadly and apparently under the Shadow's thrall.

Siri made the motion for a quick reload and she watched as large wraps containing anything that could be used to make sure an object were loaded back into their war towers. There was an odd red mist from the fires to the east and for a moment Siri pitied the Elves in their fight with the majority of the Orc army to the east, towards the Mirkwood King's lair.

"Again!"

Siri watched as another six flaming balls were released into the woods. This time, the cries of the burning Orc sounded much closer. Glancing down, she lifted her bow and quickly fitted an arrow. On either side of her, a long row of men and women repeated her motion. Two figures quickly moved along, lighting the end of their arrows with fire. If the Orcs were going to play dirty, Siri was prepared to fight with fire. As the Orc horn blew from the forest below, Siri gave the order for the horns to sound. One by one they sounded. Then they released the arrows.

They found their marks for the most part as more than a fair share of Orcs appeared at the tree line. "Fire at will," she shouted as she quickly rearmed, the others following suit. As wave after wave of arrows met the Orcs below, they were not without their own archers. "Aim for the archers!" she shouted quickly, pivoting to fire at a line of Orcs emerging from the protection of the trees, armed to the teeth with crossbows.

She feared her order was given too late.

Though the first volley downed a small number of the crossbow artists, she watched as a few from her own line were felled from the evil below. Those firing the catapults abandoned the towers and took to their own bows, and for some time there was a frenzied exchange of fire between both groups.

Siri, beginning to realize that more had fallen than she had originally thought, spun on her heel to call the retreat. The horns had just sounded when the unthinkable occurred.

The Nazgûl shrieked from the other side of the trees. Siri, her heart filled with dread, turning to look as the Orcs lifted their weapons in victory at the thought of their lords returning from the assault on Minas Tirith. Frozen though she was in her fear, Siri prayed that a quick death would greet her. She was not willing to endure torture and pain under this constant attack…

Instead, she saw something that stunned her mind completely. Words could not express her emotions the instant a figure emerged from the far forest and began attacking the Orc archers, downing them one by one. As the Orcs realized they had been deceived, they turned to attack the newcomer. Yet she had not come alone. Growling creatures emerged behind her, attacking Orc after Orc as she ordered them onwards.

She heard a loud cry from someone behind her and spun, seeing Alywn standing there, her bow held loosely at her side, her eyes wide with disbelief. Was she actually laughing? Siri could not understand how such a miracle was possible. It was as though the ones who looked after them had been waiting for this moment before springing such a gift…

And yet there she was, Buffy, their former leader and guardian, moving between the Orcs.

Prying a horn from the hands of its dead bearer, she blew as loudly as she could, wanting to let Buffy know that she was there to back her up. Then, dropping her bow and removing her sword, she aimed it towards the throngs of Orcs now emerging from the forest and gave the call to charge forward.

Buffy surged forward, quickly drawing the curve sword on the underside of an Orc, nearly cleaving him in two as he fell away. Turning, she lifted her sword again, only to see a young woman in a dark cloak at her side, her own shorter swords spinning rapidly as she downed two Orcs in one quick swoop before moving on. Glancing over the heads of all of those now attacking the Orcs head on, she finally saw Siri swinging her sword with practiced ease, taking out foe after foe. Spinning the sword behind her, Buffy drove it through the sternum of an attacking Orc before she twisted the blade, drawing it down as the Orc collapsed at her feet. With a smug smile, she lifted her hands and watched as her growing hounds moved onwards.

Despite the charge the villagers had received from watching their fallen leader return to battle, they soon began to realize that they were fearfully outnumbered. What they did not realize was that the Orcs had been pressed westward by Thranduil's forces. While the villagers were attacked from the south, more foes began to arrive from the east, quickly flooding into the valley below the city.

Buffy soon realized that unless she got these people out of there, they would be bottled up and strategically picked off one by one. Turning, she looked for someone with the authority to issue such an order. She wanted this to be Siri's call. Cold sunlight met her face as she glanced up at the sun. Feeling slightly stronger, she turned and continued to fight off her foes rapidly, watching as the Orcs started piling at their feet. Then she saw something that made her blood chill. The trees in the distance were twisting and the sound of thunder was growing nearer. Realizing what this could mean, a retreat was their only option for survival. Turning, she shouted, "Retreat to the hills! Retreat to the hills!"

"Retreat!" a deep baritone voice came, along with the sound of a horn Buffy had not yet heard. "Retreat!"

Siri turned and watched as many removed themselves from battle and began pushing towards the north. Buffy turned to face the east and saw creatures moving amongst the trees. She had to cut them off and fast. Turning, she clutched the arm of a young woman who turned to face her breathlessly. Her face was smeared with Orc blood, which seemed to drip from her fingers. Yet she understood Buffy's instructions to conveniently burn the front patch of the forest, pushing the Orcs south away from the sunlight and back towards the place where they could be faced head-on.

Below in the valley, Siri was refusing to accept defeat and kept fighting, though she realized she was attracting more attention now. As Buffy moved with others to dump vast barrels of oil and wood in the dry brush near the tree line, Siri continued to fight alone. She knew she was acting foolish and could not hold back an entire army as her mother could, but she felt like she had something to prove. She had to have something to show for, since she was certain that her return to this forest must have disappointed her… Despite the overwhelming relief of knowing that their strong leader had returned and was willing to fight on their side, she still felt the inane emotion of wanting to hold onto her leadership role… Buffy had named _her _Queen after all…

Buffy whistled over the blood hounds. The humans watched apprehensively as the snarling dogs tore their fangs from the Orcs they had been devouring, black blood whetting the snow as they trotted over in a large pack to stand before the woods. As she gazed at the woods, waiting for the second front to come, she felt something tug at her heart. Something was seriously wrong. Spinning, she headed back to the top of the hill, where only half of the forces that had gone into the woods had emerged. Spying Alwyn, she moved towards the woman, who lifted a trembling hand and gestured downhill. "Siri," was all she needed to say.

Buffy felt her jaw drop as she saw Siri's dark hair flying as she kicked at an Orc before using her knife to forcefully nudge her enemy away. What on Arda was this girl trying to prove? "Siri!" she shouted. "Get out of there!"

Siri turned and nodded her head, acknowledging what Buffy had said. But Buffy knew better. She began moving downhill, lifting her sword again with her injured hand. She felt the others start to follow but she shouted back, "No, stand your ground!"

"Buffy!" Alwyn shouted in alarm as Buffy continued to move down towards the swarm of Orcs now circling around Siri.

Siri was surprisingly holding her own, backing towards the hill.

Alwyn glanced at the survivors and quickly found a group of bows on the ground. "Cover them," she uttered to herself. Raising her voice, she added, "Cover them!"

"Who do we cover?" a young man asked, holding his bow and looking back from the eastern ridge where the Orcs were getting ever nearer to the south, where both of their leaders were facing imminent danger.

"You must divide," Alwyn replied, desperation in her voice. "As soon as the Orcs reach that clearing, set that line ablaze. The rest of us will cover them."

The man nodded and took a few aside as they lit their torches on fire and awaited the return of the second wave of foes coming from a separate direction.

Siri was nearly halfway up the hill now as Buffy met her, charging beyond to kick one Orc aside and cut down two others. As the two women moved away, Buffy felt as though they were safe once more. However, the ridge they were moving backwards on was uneven. Buffy's foot hit an incline and she stumbled, falling to the side, nearly losing grip of her sword and completely falling away from Siri, leaving the exhausted woman in clear sight of any foe.

An Orc archer took sight of her and fired from its crossbow once before a barrage of fire from the hill overtook his frame. But as he died, he smiled; he had hit his mark. Siri cried out as the arrow pierced her shoulder, forcing her to drop her sword and swing dangerously to the right. Before she knew what had happened, she was falling towards the circle of bloodthirsty Orcs awaiting their chance to retaliate for all of their own that had been taken. Buffy, finally regaining her balance, could only watch helplessly as Siri collapsed forward. "No," she moaned, rushing forward.

It was far too late. One Orc took his poisoned blade and thrust upwards, the metal plunging through her abdomen and slicing upwards towards her spine. At her sharp inhale, he drew the blade out. It was then that cover fire from the hill sprayed ruin upon them all as Buffy arrived, one arm reaching out and clutching Siri around her waist and pulling backwards. Siri could only gasp as she knew that her end had come. She saw darkness as her face tipped towards the cerulean sky. It seemed so cold that she would die under a perfect morning.

Buffy's face suddenly hovered above her own and she heard her voice as though it were an apparition, "Hold on, Siri… we're almost there…"

Siri could only moan as she choked, a thin stream of blood emitting from her dry lips. She heard the voices of others close in and felt their hands close around her body, pulling her away from danger. She could see a flash of gold and knew that Buffy had moved down to cover them. Arrows looked like lines drawn in the perfect sky. She felt something cold and wet behind her, but soon realized that she had been placed on the frozen ground. There were frantic footsteps around her and cries of alarm. She didn't understand why they were so upset. She just wanted to close her eyes and rest a while.

"Move!" Buffy shouted, pushing two men away. Falling to her knees, she took Siri's hand and held it. Siri turned her face slightly towards her. "Siri… please…"

"It's okay," the woman sighed, her voice pinched and tight, likely from the fact her lungs were collapsing from the blunt attack on her body. "I…"

Buffy's eyes were full of angst now. She looked ever so close to tears. Siri longed to tell her that it was going to be okay. She wanted to tell her that she was going to be all right. She was going to close her eyes and rest. And then she would be home again, with her true family, where she belonged. She felt the tears in her eyes drip down her cheeks onto the frozen ground. She mustered all of the emotions she could and squeezed with her hand. When she felt the resounding squeeze in return, she knew that Buffy understood what she was trying to say. There were just too many things to say.

"Cover that flank!" Alwyn shouted, moving onwards as more than a dozen others came behind, firing flaming arrows to the south.

"They're coming!" another voice shouted, this one masculine. The Orcs were breaking the eastern tree line.

Buffy turned her face back to Siri and felt a crushing weight of defeat touch her. She hadn't been fast enough. Had she just pushed herself a little harder, she would have gotten back. She would have been able to save Siri. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"No," Siri said, giving the slightest motion of shaking her head. "Nothing…" She let out a soft cry as the ground around her trembled with the renewed footsteps of archers. She could smell the intense smoke from the fire now burning to the east. "I…"

"Just close your eyes," Buffy said in a quiet, pained voice. "It's time to rest."

"I…"

She felt Buffy's hand on her cheek. It was so warm. She felt her skin react strangely to the warmth. Everything seemed to be fading away. Knowing that the last thing she could do was close her eyes and drift to sleep, she felt darkness overcome her.

"Find your way home," Buffy whispered, her voice trembling slightly as Siri let out a long, deep breath before remaining still and moving no more. Pulling her hand away, she gazed at the peaceful face of a woman who had resigned herself to her own fate. She had sacrificed her life so that the others could escape. Perhaps they were more deeply related than she had originally thought. Getting to her feet, she lifted the Dark Elf's sword, her fist closing around the hilt. Seeing the high line of fire now forcing the Orcs to the south, she turned to glance at the sky. Feeling an overwhelming rage settling into her, she stared at the swelling numbers now moving towards the hill from the south. They were waiting to see power? She would give them power…

Taking a deep breath, she screamed. It wasn't the piercing cry of the Nazgûl, but a deep cry expressing her loss and her emotions, all welled into a cry that was unanswered by all. The Orcs paused in their pursuit to watch her. Even her own people were backing away in alarm, looking astounded by this show of emotion from their leader. Turning, Buffy violently kicked an empty barrel down the hill, causing a few Orcs to fall over backwards in their attempt to get away from her. Lifting her sword, the strength of the sunlight suddenly fell gleaming into the valley and all the darkness was chased away.

Quailing under the brilliant light, the Orcs began a retreat. Buffy spun around, lifting her injured hand and whipping her arm about in a circle. "Archers!"

They were ready. They came forward in a solid line and volley after volley fired at the retreating Orc army as they disappeared under the cover of the forest canopy. But not even the forest could hide these creatures from a Slayer's rage. Lowering her sword, she drove it into the ground, the earth splitting beneath the force of her thrust. The hill they stood upon trembled and from the earth came pure white light that seemed to emanate into the woods. Hearing the terrified shrieks of the Orcs and the distant horns of the Elves, she knew the time to advance had come. Moving around the sword, she walked amongst the bodies and took Siri's sword, holding it in both hands.

After the archers had gazed at one another, Alwyn took the bold step forward. "My Lady?"

"Gather the dead," Buffy said, her tone devoid of all emotion. Alwyn would have given anything to see Buffy's face in that moment, but she allowed her former leader her moment of grief. "Bury them before nightfall. Tonight, we're going on the hunt."

"Then let us summon the others," a male called out, charging forward. "We have over one thousand to our numbers, Lady. They will fight under cover of darkness."

"Then call to them," Buffy said, turning her back and facing them. "But let them know that any man or woman who ventures into the darkness may not come out alive. All of you with injuries are asked to remain behind. I don't have time for weakness." She walked back up the hill, dropping Siri's father's sword at their fallen leader's side. "This has to end."

x-x-x

To the south and west, Galadriel stole to the shores of the Anduin, watching as hundreds of white Elven ships carried her own forces across the channel to the Mirkwood forest on the other side. To the north, she saw great flashes of red, even in the brilliant daylight. Her own archers had been given the order to hold out until nightfall before beginning the pursuit to cast down Dol Guldur. It was time for the fortress of Darkness to be laid to waste. Too many lives had been lost in this war already.

She felt the strength of her mate, Celeborn, at her side. Turning, she saw the woods of Lothlórien for the final time before her Marchwarden bade her enter her own ship. As the ships began to cross the river and head to the cover of the southern forest, she had felt the third assault on Lórien had been the most difficult and most trying yet. Though her ring was deeply connected with the One Ring, she still had the power to repel the forces of darkness.

And yet she felt as though fortune had altered in their favor. Despite the large numbers of Orcs and other fell creatures that had swept into her woods unchecked and unforeseen, they had all been slaughtered under the merciless force of her own Elvish guards. But things were direr to the north. Thranduil did not have a ring to protect his realm and all of his woods were burning under violent red light. At night Galadriel could hear the lament to the Silvan brothers and sisters who had lost their lives in the violent struggle for life to the north.

Galadriel was going to do all she was able to protect those she considered kin. Though slightly off-putting and quite rude when he needed to be, Thranduil was still King of an Elven realm and not since the time of Unnumbered Tears or the attack on Sauron in the First Age had any Elven alliance been as strong.

She was pleased to see that the first ships had already made it to the opposite shore and were quickly setting up a perimeter that would allow their Lord and Lady to cross into the fabled realm. In days of old, this land would have been protected, not by the Shadow but by the Lady of Shadows. She would have repelled the Orcs in those days, Galadriel thought with a firm smile. Though she had received word of her disappearance, she could feel the power in waves from the north. Despite her disappearance, her spirit had endured. But this power was much different than the power she had felt before. That power had been to protect the innocent, Galadriel thought as her ship reached mid-stream… this power belonged to vengeance.

x-x-x

By nightfall, many fires were burning as the extent of Siri's forces was now gathered in the valley. All along the ridge were mounds of buried bodies. In the distance, large fires consumed dead Orc. Buffy had also ordered those hounds destroyed. Despite the fact that they had followed her as Sauron had once willed, she assumed he would be a little ticked if he discovered how completely unhelpful they had been in securing this forest as a victory. There was also the issue that they weren't too choosy when it came to mealtimes, either.

Alwyn marched amongst the forces, pleased to see that they were all well-armed and prepared to do as Buffy asked them. Though Buffy had been once again named General in a long, outstanding war that would likely kill them all, she had no reservations in fighting. She was getting tired of all of this fighting.

After looking over the forces, Alwyn found Buffy near the edge of the ridge, crouched down near a grave marker with a sword at the head. Siri's father's sword would remain with her always, Buffy had decided. It was a marker that closed the book on the once-powerful family. Though the line had cleanly fallen, it was Alwyn who had informed her earlier that it was not so.

"She had kids?" Buffy asked in disbelief as four young men shoveled newly-hewn earth over her daughter's broken form.

"She had three children," Alwyn confirmed in a soft voice, misty-eyed. "The youngest has just learned to walk…"

Now alone in her own corner of the makeshift graveyard surrounded by the deceased, she gathered dirt in her hands and let it drift back to the mound, feeling as though she were empty inside. It was only way to steel herself for doing what she was prepared to do. "The others told me what you had done," she whispered, letting the rest of the dirt fall to the earth. "They told me that you were willing to hold up my bargain with King Thranduil… that you were willing to go to whatever end. I see in you what I have done to my own… family. You gave your life to save theirs… so did I. I don't think it gets easier than that. It cheapens it… it's the easy way out. You have your death all cut out nicely for you and you take that fork instead of taking the one that leads down a road that no one can follow. When I left this world behind, I was ready for it. Now I feel like I've left someone behind and I don't know…" She lifted her injured hand to cover her eyes, which were starting to tear. "I'm sorry, but I didn't know you had family here. I didn't know that your line went on or I would have fought harder… I'm the one who can't die! I just… please, Dawn, if you can hear me… forgive me… please?"

"Buffy," a quiet voice spoke from behind her, signaling Alwyn's return. "The forces are ready."

"Keep them in the forest, two large groups. No one travels alone. I'll take the sky route." Brushing the tears from her eyes, she leaned over and pressed her hand to the dirt. "I guess we're never too old to realize that we're never too wise to know we've left something behind. Thank you… I love you. I always loved you. You were my daughter, no matter what anyone else said. And I think today you proved to me that I had more of an impact on you than I thought. I'm proud of you, my little Siri. I hope you're with your real mother and father now. Look after your people… they need your graces now more than ever." Biting her lip, she retracted her hand and got to her feet. Smoothing her long coat and her top and trousers beneath, she turned to face the large army now marching downhill, their torches bobbing in the distance as they disappeared amongst the tree trunks. Seeing Alwyn and the other lieutenants on the hill, Buffy gestured them onwards. "Nothing survives," she told Alwyn in a low voice. "When you find the enemy, signal for backup. I will not have useless deaths on my hands because of incompetence."

"Yes, Lady," Alwyn said, bowing her head quickly. "The appropriate orders will be given."

"Thanks," Buffy said, and watched as Alwyn broke off to speak to the others. Once exchanging these words, they all turned to the south. Buffy took a deep breath and moved to the lines. Glancing up, she pulled herself into the trunks and began to move silently above them, keeping at a pace where she could see movement in the distance. Seeing a red haze many miles away, she knew that the Orcs had retreated into their corner. But an injured animal backed into a corner was more dangerous than before, Buffy recalled as she quickened her pace.

x-x-x

It was nearing dawn when Buffy slowed at last, hearing the sounds of a distant battle. She glanced behind her and spotted the movement of a reasonably-sized army moving steadily south. She turned back and crossed the narrow gap between branches. Landing in a crouch, she took a moment to decipher the sounds. There were the usual grunts and groans of Orcs, but judging by the movement, there were other fell beings that were much larger. She would place them at a Troll's size and for that they would need aerial support. She decided to wait until the others came before she put archers in the trees. They were still a few days from Dul Guldur, but it sounded as though the Orcs had met resistance on their return to their lair. It had been a long journey from the north, lasting days. She couldn't count how many as the trees blotted out all color, melding darkness and light into one blurry shadow. She would have thought a week had passed had she been counting the days, but time wasn't important here. The Orcs had been swooping south towards their stronghold and, judging by the sounds, they had met their match. She forced her exhausted body to cross to the next tree and to the next before falling against the limb, lying in wait. Her people were hours behind and she knew that she had to wait before any plan of attack would become possible.

She was tired enough to sleep in this tree. She remembered sleeping for a few hours the day before. Stretching out and leaning back, she felt the sturdy trunk provide ample support for her cramped figure. She knew that falling asleep would only bring nightmares, Slayer-crafted dreams of Sunnydale and of Dawn. She didn't need that guilt when she was about to lead an army into its most intense test yet. She didn't need the added pressure. And yet there was little else to do. Closing her eyes, she rested for awhile.

Dark were her dreams, seeing spinning lights and dark shadows moving about her. There were voices, both harsh and consoling. And, in the end, there was a great, flaming eye. It was focused to the north where large contingents of men were marching on the Black Gates of Mordor. The voices stopped as she watched the march from above. The gates had opened and many fell creatures moved through, circling around the small groups of men. And yet, even when the battle began, they didn't give up. They kept fighting and buying time for something… she didn't quite know what it was. But she felt a dark power and realized that the One Ring was in Mordor. It was ever close to returning to its master. It was drawing nearer and nearer…

There was a shrieking cry as eight winged creatures turned from the eagle foes and soared into the dark realm. The Eye had turned towards Mount Doom. In the moment of silence she had remaining, she felt as though the entire world were holding its breath…

With a sharp gasp, she awoke. There were the sounds of footsteps moving beneath her now and she rolled onto her stomach. Panting, she spied the beginnings of her own army moving stealthily through the darkness. They had been trained to march in the woods in shadow and moved without light or speaking. Pushing herself to her feet, she continued leaping from tree to tree as the army moved beneath her. Already the battle had moved south. Either the Orcs had been destroyed, which she deemed unlikely or else whoever the Orcs had been fighting had retreated. Knowing that the only thing standing between the forces of good and the total annihilation of these woods were the Elves, she feared what she would find as they moved south. Knowing they had many miles to cover, she continued moving. Time was now against them. Sauron was close to recapturing his prize. If he received what he had been looking for, all of their lives would end. And she would be returned to the darkness.

Miles to the south and east, the forces of Thranduil were pressing onwards. Elves moved forward in long lines, attempting to pin the Orc army to the western borders of the forest. For weeks now the Elves had moved south, pushing the Orcs from their realm. Thranduil himself led his own forces atop his steed, his eyes callously glimpsing for traces of this black foe. He was more than tired of waiting for the next assault from Sauron. Too many Elves had lost their lives in this war as it was. He was prepared to end this line before the next assault came. The woods to the north had suffered grievously, burning for many days before the strength of the Elves endured. Much had been destroyed in his realm, but as he had learned from his darker past, more could be rebuilt.

His guards moved onwards, the Elven archers moving ahead of what remained of his cavalry. Dol Guldur was less than a day's ride from the north and he continued to move his forces down. His archers were already engaged in battle, trying to pick off the fleeing Orc army one by one.

To the far south, the full forces of Lórien were engaging the entire Orc army. They had returned to their fortress at last only to find Lord Celeborn and thousands of Elves waiting. With the power of Galadriel's protection over them, they continued to battle through the night. It was only when Thranduil's forces arrived at last did a great rousing cheer rise through the ranks of the Elves as the Orc army stood no chance. Galadriel moved amongst her guards, casting down the black posts guarding the dark fortress. The Orcs within defended their realm to the last being, but stood no chance against the merciless Elves. Long had they fought these foes. Long had they defended their realms. The time had come for the Elves to return the pains and hurt from all of the previous wars. Though they would later deny it, the Elves were enjoying themselves as they continued to slay their dark opponents.

To the north, the sounds of battle were all too obvious. They were more than a day away now, Buffy thought as she neatly flipped over a smaller branch and landed before her army. Her lieutenants quickly came forward at her beckoning.

"What battle is this?" Alwyn asked uncertainly, her eyes gazing into the dark trees before them. There was a light haze over the treetops in the distance.

"It is possible that Elves survived and have taken on the army," Buffy said steadily. "I don't know who commands them, but I do know there are a lot of them. That Orcs numbered in the thousands when we took them on. It is possible their numbers have grown. Now… we're less than a day from Dol Guldur. I know the men and women are tired and probably sick of walking in the darkness. I'm just asking you to do this one more time. We're going to cover the western flank to prevent the Orcs from escaping. They will try and move under cover of darkness towards the river. We can't let them leave and we certainly can't let them get to the mountains. If they do, they'll only come back with a bigger army. Now I know that you're scared. I'm scared, too. I don't know what we're going to find or what will happen. All I know is that you're the best trained army I have ever seen and you know how to get this job done. I trust you as much as I trust myself. Our allies down there are fighting for their lives, their freedom. Let's give them the message that they're not alone."

The lieutenants exchanged a brief, tense smile.

"We're with you," an older man said, inclining his head.

"We were always with you," Alwyin said, distinct pride flashing in her eyes. "You are our General, our leader, our Lady… our Queen."

Buffy waved this notion aside. There would be time enough to sort out titles later. "Archers will take to the hills and await the signal. I want the rest of you to prepare for battle one-on-one. This is just good, old knife work and I know you're good at it because I trained many of you myself. Now, let's show these Orcs who we really are… men _and _women of the north."

That said, the army quickly divided, the archers moving precariously into the trees under their former leader and now strict General. Buffy led them southwest, around the fortress of Dol Guldur. As the hours passed, the sounds of battle grew louder. Messengers were sent back and forth through the trees and a problem was soon discovered: the half-Trolls had not yet made their way to the south. They were still east of battle but moving rapidly towards the Elves. As Buffy knew her forces would easily knock them down, she arranged for half of the archers to move east and kept the rest moving south. It was time to end this battle once and for all.

Drawing down her own bow, she kept running along the topmost branches until at last she could see the battle taking place in the woods below. She glanced behind her and saw forces moving rapidly down the western slopes. The ground was higher there and made for easier movement because they were no longer under the cover of trees. There was no longer the threat of an attack from the Nazgûl. Buffy knew this. She could sense somehow that either they no longer existed or their power was greatly diminished.

The fortress now in sight, she began to set up the archers in a way that when the Orc army finally showed its true size, they would be prepared. She flipped down to the ground, shouting up at Alwyn to be prepared and to fire at anything that wasn't glowing, excluding her. Moving into the forest on foot, she came to the northern borders of the fortress. Around her were many dead Orcs, many in burning piles of flesh and carcass. There were dead Elves, too. Their tragic glow had faded, but their figures were still extraordinarily standing out like a dislocated limb, with their gaunt figures and long, fancy couture. Drawing her bow to her shoulder, she removed the sword the dark Elf had used and held it in her hands as she moved into a clearing. All she heard was eerie silence. There was no song, no voices, no laughter. Sensing a trap, she moved to the center of the clearing and stood still. There was a tense silence only rocketed by a flock of ravens that took flight. Seeing this as a sign, she lifted her sword and let the tip glance to her forehead before lowering it. It was now or never.

She screamed as though her life depended on it. She heard the stunned gasps from above her. She knew her people had not expected her to play shadow now, but she was desperate to get the full forces of the Orcs into the center so she could have a go at them. It wasn't fair for the Elves to have all the fun.

There was the sudden hum of an Orc horn to her east. There was one immediately to her west. As though the forest released a sigh, the archers above armed themselves, their arrows aimed for the ground.

All at once, hell seemed to break loose.

Lady Galadriel had glanced up at the sound of the Nazgûl cry, sounding so close and yet so… alone. She turned to her own forces, who were easily burning the rickety attack towers surrounding the great fortress and motioned them to move northward. This fight was apparently not yet over.

King Thranduil, who had been pursuing Orcs to the southern borders of his forest, gazed up at the Nazgûl cry. Giving a dark smile and a quick order to his guards, they turned north.

Orcs were now swarming from all directions. Buffy took a quick stance, holding out her sword. Knowing the Orcs would soon see that they had once again been deceived, she was prepared to do all that was necessary. After all, she couldn't exactly die in this battle. Her first kill was quick and painless. All she had to do was lift her sword of her shoulder and push backwards.

The clearing was soon overwhelmed by Orcs. The archers had an easy time picking off the foul creatures one by one. Buffy was having an even better time, cutting her way through to the tree line. Turning, she spun and kicked at another Orc before disappearing back into the cover of darkness. Pulling herself up into the trees, she was about to give the order to hit the deck and engage in hand-to-hand combat when another horn assailed her ears.

The full fury of the Elves was unleashed into the battle below her. She watched as hundreds, if not thousands of glowing creatures engaged the dark army. Another horn soon sounded as many horses thundered into play, easily running over the Orcs in question. Feeling a small smile tug at her lips, she let out a callous laugh before falling back on her heels. Next to her, Alwyn looked distinctly amused.

But Sauron's will, though fading, would not be denied. Feeling the movement in the trees to their north, Buffy turned and the smile slid from her face. She made a quick motion to Alwyn and both women armed their arrows as did the other archers. The half-Trolls were now moving in, bits of trees being tosses aside like matchsticks in their will to return to their fortress and, if they could, save the day.

The only problem was, her archers were still in the trees.

"Get down!" she cried out. "Take cover! Get to the ground!"

But it was far too late. She watched helplessly as the trees were scattered, men and women flying hopelessly in different directions. "No!" she screamed, and her own voice, raw and emotional, came back to her. She turned and began leaping forward, looking for a way to exploit a weakness. She heard the sounds of her own people being slaughtered as once they had reached the ground they became easy targets. She was about to give the order to retreat when a different horn piqued her interest.

Turning east, she saw the first beams of sunlight, the first light from the sun she had seen since she had re-emerged in this forest. Despite the vicious battle being fought only meters away, she saw another long line of forces entering from the west. The half-Trolls turned and saw that a rather large grounds force was moving in on them. Buffy blinked in disbelief and she heard Alwyn's triumphant laughter. She should have known that they wouldn't follow her orders completely. After all, they had been Siri's army.

The archers sprang into action, moving to the periphery and readying arrows. Buffy and Alwyn moved to do the same. As the half-Trolls were about to emerge into the clearing, the archers fired. The forces from the ground moved forward with their own flaming arrows. There was a loud cry from the large beings as they stumbled backwards. The sound of Elves and Orcs fighting was growing nearer now. The Elves were clearly pushing the Orcs to the north, away from their own mission of destroying the fortress of Dol Guldur. After signaling Alwyn to remain where she was, Buffy flipped down, withdrew her sword again, and launched herself into the clearing.

It was strange, fighting these fell beasts with the Elves at her side. They didn't seem to recognize her but only saw a faint, blurry shadow moving swiftly around them, taking quick shots as the body count doubled. Her own forces had trapped the half-Trolls and now they were suffering from the rapid release of many frustrations of the people. She saw young women slashing off limbs from these giants, their tears mixing with the black blood of the foes they had cut down.

Buffy's own frame was darkened from the blood of many Orcs. She had cast off her coat, revealing a long tank top-like tunic. Her arms were soon covered with spattered blood, both Orcish and her own. Once her army had taken out the half-Trolls, they were now pushing the Orcs south. The Elven army had moved back and soon all three armies were engaging the much larger force of Orcs in their own realm. Buffy, who had deemed to never set foot again inside the fortress of Dol Guldur, followed her foes under the dark archways and over the long rivers of black oil and pits of fire. She vented out every last angry emotion and every last pent-up frustration she had until she felt there was nothing left but the power of the Slayer behind every thrust, every kill, every motion… There was something poetic about her style as she cut her way through. And yet she was not without her own losses. Both men and women fell that day as the sun rose, terrible and tainted as the dawn as the Orcs suffered their worst defeat since the battle of Minas Tirith, just days before.

The battle went on into the night, with Orc reinforcements arriving from the mountains. They were cut down by Buffy's well-trained forces holding the western border and not one crossed into the forest.

When the smoke and light had cleared on the third day, Galadriel used her powers to cast down, at last, the altar and pillar marking the great fortress. Large reams of water filled the pits of fire and the long rivers of oil were cleansed with the healing power of the Elves. Feeling exhausted as though her very being were dying from within, Buffy fell at the top of the steps, gazing up at the once-tall statue of Morgoth that still decorated this very hill. Taking her sword, she removed the head, the cold stone shattering at her feet. At this, a great light shone from above as sunlight filled the realm once again.

Panting, she fell back a few steps before collapsing. She felt an involuntary scream emit and soon it was choked off, the sound of the shadow departing from her figure. There were cries as her own people rushed to her defense. Alwyn quickly pushed others aside and cradled her leader, who lifted a bloody hand and caressed her lieutenant's face. "You've done good," Buffy said weakly.

"You cannot leave us now, not with victory so near," Alwyn replied quietly, a tear trickling down one grime-covered cheek.

"This victory does not belong to us," Buffy rasped. "It belongs to all who have fought so long…"

"Save your strength," Alwyn pleaded.

"Please," a different voice replied. Buffy's people turned to see Elves standing behind them, led by Galadriel. "The shadow has departed forever, I fear." Moving closer, with the humans quickly pushing away, Galadriel moved and stooped next to Buffy's fallen figure. "The shadow has departed, dear Lady," the white Noldor queen said softly, one hand caressing the bruised face of her former foe. "Your shadow has gone. Your time to live has come."

Buffy's eyes closed as Galadriel spoke and Alwyn felt the body stiffen. "What have you done to her?"

"She is merely sleeping," Galadriel replied, satisfied as she rose. "Come. There is much work that still needs to be done."

And so their work continued through the following weeks and months. The forest was cleansed of all things evil and Dol Guldur was reduced to a fountain and four crumbled, cracked walls. As the humans moved to the north to recover what had been taken from them, Buffy recovered in the south. Under the care of the Elves, her strength multiplied day by day. Now that Sauron's hold over her had gone, she felt as though a great weight had been removed from her shoulders. All that remained was the thoughts of the cost this battle had had. Siri's death was forefront on her mind, but there were others. The village to the north had been destroyed. The people returning south had been caught in a terrible storm and were forced to seek refuge in a burning forest.

Buffy moved under her Elven guard to the north when, at last, she saw the one person she had wanted to see. Lifting her bloodied sword and raising her swollen eyes, she gazed directly into the eyes of King Thranduil, who looked taken aback to see her standing there. "My lady," he said, quickly lowering his eyes and blinking, "we thought you had fallen."

"I believe my word has been retained," Buffy said after a few moments, dropping her sword at the Elven King's feet. "I have fulfilled my promise."

Turning, she walked onwards, reaching the village before the start of summer. Many cried and gave welcome to their leader, for none now lived of the royal family that had led them. She at last met Jarron and Siri's children, who were rather stunned to see the young blonde and call her "grandmother". Buffy looked aghast as they were led away before turning and slapping Alwyn's arm. The older guard had been laughing excessively since she had spied Buffy's revolted face.

A summons was soon sent to the north for Buffy's presence at the former fortress. There was also word of an olive branch from the men of Lake Town to the east, past the borders and to the south of Erebor. The people were being welcomed in the old city. Knowing that this would mean a permanent residency at last, Buffy encouraged the council to vote to relocate. It was unanimous and on the day Buffy left for the south, the people began their long pilgrimage east. She knew that all of the children were curious to learn more about this former leader that had only been with them for days.

Buffy moved alone through the forest, her speed assuring that she would soon see the two Elvish leaders that had summoned her.

As she passed through the forest, she finally had the time to come to grips of what had happened. They had been victorious. The Orcs were now gone. Sauron had been defeated and utterly destroyed. The Nazgûl were no more. And, she thought, smiling… the shadow that had forced her into this world was gone. There was nothing left but brilliant sunshine and a warm, healthy glow that emanated from her skin. It was now warm to the touch. She thought that this was one sacrifice that was not made in vain. It was worth every step of the way, all of the blood she had shed. The only problem was, there were others who had been left behind. The time had now come to decide what to do. She could return to her people and stand as their ruler. Or she could take the uncertain future and run with it, throwing caution to the wind.

She smiled as her Elvish escort met her just south of the forest road. Yes, she thought, as friendly exchanges of conversation were made. The time had come to rebuild and repair what shattered lives were left. It was time to begin with herself.

It was time to live again.

x-x-x

_Sunnydale_

_Two hours post battle_

She had just gone into the kitchen away from their accusing stares to have a moment to herself, and they could not grant her this one peaceful moment. As she heard their footsteps follow behind, she reached into the cabinet and pulled down a glass. Turning back, she saw that Dawn was standing at the island, her arms crossed. After she had realized her sister was gone forever, she had passed out cleanly into Spike's arms. Despite Giles' hostility towards the chipped vampire, he had allowed Spike to carry Dawn back to the house. Then again, Giles was looking mighty bruised from the skirmish in the graveyards earlier.

After saying his final farewell, Angel had taken his crew and had already departed for Los Angeles. Tara's plan had gone to seed. They had stopped what could have possibly led to another apocalypse and she had succeeded in sending Buffy back to her time.

Willow had now joined Dawn at the counter. She looked lost; almost bewildered at the amount of power she had felt from Tara. Surely this wasn't all natural. Tara couldn't really explain it herself. But what she had seen during their connection was enough to convince her that what they had done was the right thing to do. She only wished it didn't have to do with the sacrifice of her best friend. Dawn's betrayed look was one thing, Tara thought sadly, but seeing the open confusion on Willow's was something else entirely. The witch just had too much to learn about magic.

Getting her water, she started to walk out of the kitchen, only to be stopped by Giles and Xander. For once, they looked to agree on something and that something was grill-Tara time. Blinking up at them, she backed towards the stove, her hand searching behind her for a weapon to use. Though her powers were invisible, she had great strength in her mind. She could feel their sorrow and sympathized with that. But if they had seen what she had, they would have been on board with this plan from the start.

"Wh-what do you w-w-want?" she stammered, looking at them all as she continued to back away.

"An explanation would be nice," Giles said in his most polite voice. Though he spoke lightly, Tara could feel the waves of anger and distrust radiating from him.

"I-I can't g-give you one," she replied, setting her glass down. "I really w-wish that I c-c-could, but I can't."

"Something pushed you to do what you did, Tara," Dawn snapped, pushing Willow away as she stormed towards the older woman. "How could you take her away from me?"

"It wasn't m-my choice," Tara said, feeling her own tears of empathy come to her eyes. Now was not the time to start crying. She would just open floodgates that would never end. "Please, D-Dawnie… you have to believe th-that…"

"It was different," Willow spoke up in a flat, distorted voice. "It was pure… it was so powerful… and it was… it was so good."

Tara nodded, sniffling back her tears and quickly brushing them aside with bruised fingertips.

"Willow?" Xander asked, watching as his best friend started to shake her head, looking indignant.

"You should have seen it," Willow replied in the same tone. "There was so much death and despair and there was no light and suddenly… there it was! There was light and it was bright and beautiful… it belonged there."

Tara felt something catch in her throat and eyed her girlfriend warily. Exactly how much had Willow seen into her own mind?

"B-Buffy?" Dawn asked tentatively.

Willow nodded, bringing a hand to her eyes as she sat down, trembling from head to toe.

Tara calmly stepped forward and gently rested her hand on Willow's shoulder. "Wh-what you saw was just a g-glimpse into a past that will n-n-never happen now," she murmured.

"How could it not have changed?" Willow asked, glancing at Tara with tears streaked across her pale face. "You brought the light back."

x-x-x-x

The next part… Buffy goes to Gondor to find out whether or not her other daughter survived the onslaught on Minas Tirith; the Elves meet to discuss ownership of the forest. And perhaps best of all, a payoff for those of you who have been waiting…

Lastly, this was the end of the Sunnydale involvement in this story. It sort of gave a bit of a hint as to who Tara was.


	19. Part XIX

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas. Finally.

**Teaser**: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: T, by the new fanfiction standards. If blood and gore bother you, this should still be all right to read.

**Revised Summary**: Buffy Summers had been given a new life and for thirty years she lived as the powerful, feared leader of a warrior clan of women… and then her friends pulled her out of Heaven. Now she lives in a world she no longer understands surrounded by people who cannot help her. Friendships will be tested and loyalties will be stretched to their limits but she will never rest until she fulfills her last promise and fights in the war she knows has come.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship.

**Gratitudes**: To everyone that has supported this story, thank you. To those of you who have read, you have my eternal gratitude. This is the last time I will post reviewer responses as now we have the option to respond if you request so.

_XinnLajgin__- Thank you! I hope you liked the explanations... then again, how exactly would one explain magical transfers through dimensions to Elves? Or humans? _

_General Mac - Just one more to go... sorry!_

_Toniboo__- I am glad you enjoyed it. _

_Lady Katanya - Thank you!_

_Tigerfanfry__- I am glad you liked what you re-read so far. I have not done that in a while. All I can say is... I created a monster. _

_afstandsbediening__lol - I have no idea what your handle is. But it is kind of cute. :) Yes, Buffy missed the Fellowship. There are too many stories out there where Buffy happily trounces along. I wanted to go against the normal._

**Part Summary**: Buffy makes the journey to Minas Tirith to find her other daughter… for those of you who have been waiting for an actual pairing, your wait is over.

**Notes:** It has been over a month since my last update. Real life has just gotten to the point where finals are upcoming, my family is growing and time online is very limited. Luckily, this story is nearly over. It is completely written, but I have been rewriting parts because there were just some things that were not working for me. This is a bittersweet impasse for me, because this story is now nearly over. It has been one hell of a journey, to say the least. Here we are at the penultimate…

x-x-x-x

**Part XIX**

x-x-x-x

"You… you were dead."

Buffy still hadn't thought about what she would tell them. She couldn't explain being ripped from this world and torn away from the world she had known longer than she had known her California life. How did one explain the technological adequacy that her former life had been? Cellular phones were bad enough, but high definition television? How in the hell was she supposed to explain where she'd been? Her cover story was she had been captured by Mordor, refused to capitulate and eventually was released upon Sauron's fall. It didn't make much sense to her because that torture would likely have altered her forever, but this was something completely different. She had been taken all the way back to Sunnydale and through Tara's extraordinary magic was she able to come back at all. Fortunately. Some others might consider her return to this world to be a miracle, but for Buffy it was both bittersweet and relieving. She was relieved that she was home. She had known this land longer than California, after all. It was also bittersweet because, for the first time, she felt as though she'd left someone behind.

"I wasn't dead," she managed to get out, glancing up at Alwyn. It was her first day back in the remnants of their village. The shadow that had been looming over her shoulders like a giant weight was finally gone and she felt she could breathe free air again. But with her recovery there were also many questions looming: where she had been and why she had abandoned them seemed to be the two most popular inquiries. She just wished she had the answers. "I mean… I'm already dead. You can't die twice when you're already dead."

"If you were not dead, why then did you disappear in our darkest hour?" Alwyn pressed her.

Buffy paused, considering this. Sure, the captured and tortured theory worked well, but she didn't feel like lying anymore. She decided to go with the truth. "I didn't have a choice, Alwyn," Buffy replied gently. "I couldn't get back here, no matter how much I wanted to."

"We thought you had abandoned us," Alwyn replied stoically.

"I wouldn't abandon you if I had a choice," Buffy insisted. "I'm not like that. When I made that promise to your former leader, I told her I would never abandon you. Siri watched over you."

"She is gone now, departed for the Halls with her forefathers," Alwyn said, her head drooping slightly. "We are alone."

"You're not alone," Buffy smiled, patting Alwyn on the shoulder. "Did you hear that the guys in the east Lake Town are going to take you in? They will be so happy to see you."

"Who will lead us?" Alwyn asked in a small tone. "I am aging quickly and my health will soon falter. There are few left from your time who could lead us."

"Jarron said that Siri sent Daire south, right?" Buffy asked slowly.

"Yes," Alwyn admitted. "Daire and Mauve were asked to go to the south to serve Gondor. It would be miraculous if they lived still, for what we have heard from the south is grave news indeed! We have heard nothing of their fate."

Buffy sat and thought for a moment before replying, "The Elves have asked that I go south to meet with them. I will find out what I can and, when I can, I'll meet you in the eastern town. If I find out that she's still alive, I'll go and get her and I'll bring her home. Daire is your leader now. She is the last surviving member of the royal family and should hold the crown until Siri's son is old enough to take it. I would much rather have a woman to lead us. I don't know if I can trust a man to do it as well."

"You find strength in women, more than men?" Alwyn asked, tilting her head as she considered her former leader's words.

"I think women are different than men," Buffy replied carefully. "I think men have the power to be great, yeah. But women… they feel more. I think they know more. They can learn and they listen better. I wouldn't want everything that I built to be in the hands of a male. I just don't. I think I'm allowed to think that, after all I have been through."

"You have been through much, lady," Alwyn whispered. "Though you were not trusted in the beginning, many fell into line. The men were the last."

"Not only do I not trust their leadership roles," Buffy teased, "but they just… we don't get along very well."

"What of the Woodland Prince?" Alwyn teased back. "He seemed to have been taken by you."

"I've been gone for years," Buffy said, feeling a sudden overwhelming sense of sadness strike her. "I would be amazed if he remembered me."

"He remembered you before he left for Rivendell," Alwyn confessed. "He honored your memory by allowing our people passage in his future realm. He cared for you enough to care for your daughters even though they had been so dreadful to him in the past. Do not think for one moment that he has forgotten this friendship. If you had remained, your bond would have solidified and you would have gone on this journey with him. You have known him for many years, my lady. I cannot begin to understand what he felt for you, but it was real and it was tangible and it was beautiful. You will find him, lady. And you will see that what you feel was not mistaken."

Buffy was gazing at Alwyn with softening eyes. "I've missed you, Allie. I've missed that compassion and that wisdom… damn, I've missed you."

"Where you have been must have been a dark place, but there was always a beacon of hope, was there not?"

"There's always hope," Buffy said in a small voice.

"There always will be hope," Alwyn replied. "We are stronger now. You will see it. You will see. We have done everything in our power to honor your memory by strengthening our borders and solidifying our alliances."

"Thank you," Buffy said, leaning over and hugging her former guard. "It's nice to know I made a difference."

"You have not even started yet," Alwyn said, her smile growing. "There is much for you to do and to be. Your life will be beautiful because of what you have done and what you have endured. There is good in this world and you fight for it. You have died for it. That alone makes you beautiful. That alone makes you special. That alone makes you a queen."

"You should go," Buffy said, feeling amused. This heartwarming 'I-love-you' talk was starting to grate on her nerves. So, she did some good stuff and apparently people remember it. Oh, these people were different from the ones she knew and loved. The stakes were much higher. The cost was much greater. And the drama never seemed to end. "I'll see you soon."

Even looking at this conversation days later during her long ride to the south, she could hardly believe this fortune. After weeks of battling back and forth, the good guys had prevailed. She had only gotten there at the end, but apparently it was a hell of a time for her to drop in. She continued to find that her re-emergence in this world was seen as a miracle by some and yet simply beguiling to others. And yet, in the presence of the Elves, they were either too mystified or polite to say anything.

It was hard to believe that a two day journey could bring about this type of change. There was her people, who were thrilled at having their former leader back when their current one had died fighting. And then there were the Elves, who seemed indifferent, unflappable and yet… perfect. Buffy used to think that Elves were perfection incarnate, as though insults, time and trifles just rolled off of their melancholy selves. They tended to meddle and yet they didn't seem to get involved. In all, Buffy found them mysterious. She used to despise them until she got to know them. They had a dark, dark history… one she wouldn't fathom being a part of. But she was involved, now. She had made the promise that she would stand by them because that was who she was. She never realized that by saying she would return she would face an eternity of these beings. Perhaps it was wisest she was on friendlier terms with some of them.

Four Elvish guards were awaiting her in the clearing north of the remains of the former dark fortress. They acknowledged her by inclining their heads as she paused before them. "A welcoming committee all for me?" she asked, feigning surprise.

"We never believed you would come, lady," one spoke quietly.

"You didn't think I'd show up for a party?" she asked in disbelief as she dismounted her horse and began to walk it alongside the others. "I think I'm offended… you don't know me at all."

"We know of you, and for us that is more than enough," a second guard said. Buffy thought she caught a passing smirk exchanged between the other two.

"I know you, don't I?" she asked, giving the others a dry look. "I mean, you look familiar."

"We are guards of King Thranduil," one of the two replied, giving her a quick, searching look. "Though from tidings as glad as your arrival, we never expected to see you again."

"Oh," Buffy said, frowning as she continued to walk, doubling her pace to keep up with their longer legs. "So basically you're telling me I surprised you."

"In as few words, yes,"

"Thought so," Buffy quipped, continuing to keep pace with her, though it seemed they kept speeding up. "So… we're going south."

"Lady Galadriel wishes to speak with you," the first guard informed her. "She believes you would benefit greatly were you to journey south."

"To Gondor," Buffy surmised.

"To Gondor."

"I don't suppose you know what happened to my girls," Buffy asked curiously as they finally reached the edge of the former lair.

"I would assume that your girls were sent to Gondor."

"To Gondor," Buffy repeated again, smirking slightly. "Yes… apparently they decided that a few hundred bowmen were somewhat spare-able. I wouldn't have made the same decision, but-"

"The decision was made by the leader of a fallen people," one of the Elves said quietly. "You would have made that decision to strengthen the bonds of an alliance."

Buffy was slightly taken aback as she pondered his words. "Maybe you're right," she sighed. "Maybe I would have done something like that in order to preserve an alliance. But I would have made that decision if I knew my flank was secured."

"Your people had the full acknowledgement of ours behind that decision," the Elf replied, a hard edge to his tone as he glanced at her unwaveringly through those azure eyes. "They did not have your counsel on that appropriation."

"Thanks for reminding me," Buffy said archly. "The last thing I needed to be reminded of was the years of torture I endured at the hands of _your _enemy while my people as well as you Elves suffered."

The Elves paused as she continued on, unchecked, into the old dark grounds. Even with the walls and towers cast down and burned, the air still smelled of rotting corpses. She slowly released her horse and walked in a circle around the old watch tower, feeling as though everything she had been counting on was indeed falling apart. Folding her arms, she continued to avoid contact with the fairer beings, though they seemed to wish to converse further. She had no desire to hear whatever they had to say and finally came to rest in front of an old statue. Though the dark crown had been thrown off and the great eye on top scrubbed clean, there was still a distinct darkness that seemed to draw her nearer. Though every last trace of shadow had been dissolved from her, she still carried her past sins and old thoughts with her. As she reached up to touch the hideous troll's face, she heard a soft voice call her from behind.

Turning and withdrawing her hand, she spied a single figure riding up to her, glowing faintly from atop a pale steed.

"Hello," she said, crossing her arms as she greeted this new Elf. This one was tall and fair, with a long cloak. As soon as he had ridden in, all of the other Elves had bowed their heads respectively towards him. He was obviously one of some power and influence, but she didn't know who. She knew a few of the Elves from Lothlórien, and a few more still from Rivendell, but this one was utterly unfamiliar to her. "I don't know you."

The Elven lord seemed to take her blunt recognition kindly. He bowed his head to her and spoke in a soft, fluidic tone. "Yet you are known to us, Lady of the Shadow!"

She winced as she glanced away. "I was hoping to get away from that ridiculous nickname," she admitted.

"Perhaps you shall be called Lady of Light, or Lady of Sorrow from the look upon your face," the Elf said, moving nearer to her as he examined the numerous lesions still marring her golden skin. "What concerns you, dear lady? Is it this realm, which you have broken free from at last? Or is it perhaps your escorts? I would agree that sending the guardians of Thranduilion was perhaps not the wisest choice."

"No, they're okay. I'm just not too keen on those that I don't know." She sent him a sharp, scrutinizing look he took into complete stride. "Who are you?"

"Your forgiveness, my lady… I forget that you have departed for lands unknown for many years," he said, bowing his head towards her.

"I would call being stuck in hell a really big plus on the side of unknown," she retorted, her gaze sharpening into a glare. "Who are you?" she repeated.

"My name is unimportant to you, lady," the Elf lord replied, holding his arm in a sweeping gesture towards the darkness. "Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn await you."

"It's nice someone finally told me," she murmured darkly as she allowed this new Elf to escort her into the darkness. They had only passed through a small thicket of trees before she found herself in another clearing. This one felt more… rich, somehow. There was a soft silvery glow from two beings near the edge of the clearing and both turned to face her. They were surrounded by their own guards, but she could tell that these two were the ones she had been waiting to finally meet. Their glow seemed to cast out the combined glow of the dozens of guards now finding the forest far more interesting than facing a former enemy of the Elves.

"Thank you, Haldir," the Lady Galadriel said, smiling softly towards the Elf hovering over Buffy's shoulder.

She turned and cast a long look at the overprotective Elf, but he soon nodded and meandered back in the direction of the former Dark realm. Sighing, she turned to face the Elven pair and bowed her own head. "I'm glad to finally meet you," she said, attempting a warm, welcoming smile. But she feared all that came to her face was a pained grimace.

"We understand your hostilities towards us," the male Elf spoke, quietly approaching the young woman. "You are far smaller than we would have expected."

"What did you expect?" Buffy asked sharply. "A troll? A dragon? Something with lots of teeth and more bite than bark?"

"My lady, we wish not to offend you," Galadriel replied serenely. "We have received word that we will soon travel southbound and wish you to take this journey with us. This may bring you tidings of your daughter to the south. The loss of one child is not easy for any mother to bear…" Her voice trailed off and trembled ever so slightly. "I could not imagine any mother to lose a second."

Buffy swallowed hard, not even wanting to imagine how hard it would be to lose both Siri and Daire. Daire had to be alive. She just had to be!

"Lord Elrond of Rivendell will meet us at Lothlórien," Lord Celeborn continued, glancing at his wife who had lifted her chin defiantly against such negative thoughts. "King Thranduil has insisted to meet with you ere we leave the Mirkwood." He smiled softly at her amazed expression. "He believes that you have made through on your word, lady. You have granted your people a great honor, even through your disappearance and reappearance."

Buffy knew that they had reached the point where she would launch into another boring explanation about where she had been. But she had no intentions of telling them anything just yet. She still wanted to know why King Thranduil was playing nice. Luckily for her, Celeborn seemed to sense her confusion and desire to learn more.

"King Thranduil wishes for one last favor from you," he continued, smiling as her eyes lifted to meet his. "He wishes for you to bring tidings of his son."

"Legolas," she breathed. Didn't Elves have some sort of sonar or something that would enable them to figure these things out on their own? "There has been no tidings from Gondor on him?" she questioned.

"There have been no tidings of any sort aside from one," Lady Galadriel spoke up. "We know that a King has returned to the throne of Gondor."

"Strider?" Buffy asked in surprise, a hint of laughter in her voice. Glancing from Elven lord to lady, she knew it to be true. "Oh," she whispered. "That's great news… really great news."

"We knew these tidings would be pleasing," Lady Galadriel said, a light dancing in her eyes. "You knew him before the start of the war, did you not?"

"Of course I knew him!" Buffy exclaimed. "He saved my life once. I still haven't repaid that debt."

"Oh, this debt has been repaid," Celeborn said, watching Buffy's eyes widen at this news. "When your daughter Siri sent Daire and her army to the south, that debt was erased ten-fold. There was little hope, if any, for such a victory. And yet the victory we have been awaiting for so many years has come to pass."

"To be honest, I never thought that a victory was possible," Buffy admitted. "You've faced odds that not an army the size of Earth could beat."

"What do you know of our past?" Lady Galadriel asked curiously.

"I know enough to know that it wasn't bright," Buffy replied. "I know that there have been great wars fought with the Elves in the beginning and with men in the recent past. I don't know a lot about my history, but your history is some of the most fascinating—"

"We would perhaps not call it 'fascinating'," Celeborn said lightly. "But you do know much of what has happened in the past, for you know of the great wars with the Elves of the past. Before the great land of Númenor was brought forth, great legions of men supports Elvish realms of the past. You may know, all too well, of the greed of men. It is perhaps this more than any other reason why wars in the past have been fought."

"For greed?" Buffy asked, confused.

"For greed of power," Galadriel corrected. "We all wish to control that which we cannot. We all wish for power we could never grasp. There are those of us who have seen countless ages pass with the mistakes of those who hold on to such disastrous notions. And there are those, like yourself, who call upon the past mistakes of others to influence a future that may never come."

"But the future is here now," Buffy said, her voice rising. "There is a future now, with Aragorn as the King of Gondor and allies like you guys… how could he go wrong?"

"Gondor's fate has not yet been sealed," Celeborn replied. "There has been a return of a King, yes… but there are great trials ahead and all must work together to ensure a peaceful existence between the many races."

"I will assure you now," Buffy replied in a cool tone, "that I have not passed through death and fire to fail you now. I will do what I can to preserve what future there is left."

"We are not immortal in battle," Galadriel surmised. "You have a power beyond many that walk this earth. Where you have returned from no longer matters to those who care for you as King Thranduil does. You question the reason why he would ask for your assistance in locating his son. He believes that prior to your departure, you had a bond with Thranduilion. We trust that you will do what is necessary for any future, but our concern is for your future."

"My future is with my people," Buffy sighed. "In case you didn't notice, they don't have someone running the show. And I'm not about to ask Jarron to step up… not if Daire is still alive."

"What you seek is not to move back," Celeborn replied. "You forget that my lady has the gift of foresight."

"Then what have you seen?" Buffy asked, turning to Galadriel with interest. "Can you tell me?"

"There is a future for you, but one that comes with the truth," Galadriel replied, her cool blue gaze meeting hazel. "You may not be ready to tell the others where your journey has led you, but the truth will set you free. The future for you as it stands is quite uncertain. There are many paths to follow, but only one will lead you to your gift."

"Now those are words I've heard before," Buffy said bitterly. "Are you telling me again that death is my gift?"

"Death was your gift," Galadriel concluded, smiling. Buffy, realizing what she meant, sighed. "This new gift is life. You have so much to accomplish here and where to begin? You returned to a world that was not ready for you… but as you can see, it needs you now, more than ever."

"Okay, I get it," Buffy said, waving her hand impatiently. "I really do. I can't die anymore so basically my gift to this world is life."

"Partially," Galadriel said, watching as her Marchwarden returned with two fair steeds for his lord and lady to ride upon. "When you see what the world has become through your own eyes, you will understand your place. This is a promise I make to you, dear lady." She gently reached out to stroke the golden mane of her beautiful white horse. "We should hasten."

Buffy turned around as her own horse was brought forth by a host of guards from the Mirkwood. "I think I'm lost," she whispered under her breath. Every single conversation with these beings ended up spinning her in circles and none of the good variety, she thought with a sigh. Slowly, she mounted her steed and turned to face the Elves lining up to move out of the woods. She watched as her own security soon surrounded her, casting her aloof yet respectful smiles. At least she had the best protection she could afford to buy.

"Ride with me," Galadriel said, beckoning Buffy to join her. Buffy pushed her horse forward a few paces to join the Elven queen. "As we have a long journey ahead of us, if you wish to tell the tale of your return to this world, I would rather enjoy the story."

Buffy took a deep breath as she tried to figure out what the hell to tell her. She had a feeling that Galadriel would see through any trapped in hell story, so Buffy knew that the truth would really set her free. "All right," she said slowly, building up her nerve to tell an Elven queen about a witch's magic and a really loyal friend. "It all started in the woods a few years ago. I was chasing that hideous Gollum…"

x-x-x

As it turned out, their journey was much longer than Buffy could have imagined. After they had made the short journey to Lothlórien, they had met up with Lord Elrond from Rivendell as well as his rather lengthy escort. After another round of introductions had been made, they all gathered their full numbers and began the journey south towards Gondor. Buffy, for the most part, enjoyed the silence of the journey. However, many from the west were unaccustomed to seeing a human female traveling with such high beings and most were curious as to why she had been chosen to ride with the highest of Elvish royalty. The first person to question her, surprisingly, was Lord Elrond.

At first, Buffy looked at his face and could place him from somewhere in her world. Though he rode with the best of intentions, there was a darkness about him that Buffy could visibly see. His eyes were averted at his daughter's pleasant conversation behind him and Buffy knew she could read the pain there. It was the guilt of making the decision to leave someone behind. She had just abandoned Dawn to her world. Now it was time for this Elf-lord to do the same.

"You are the fabled Lady of Shadow?" he asked her as they continued to ride alongside the river Anduin.

"I was," Buffy admitted. "I don't know about the 'shadow' part anymore."

"The tales of your skills have reached my ears in Rivendell," Elrond said, carefully watching as she rode slightly behind him, her gaze unsettled. "Why ride you south?"

"I'm going to find my daughter," Buffy replied, lifting her chin as though challenging Elrond to question this decision. Instead, she saw a hint of something else in his gaze before she looked away. "Dead or alive, I'm going to bring her back."

"I heard of the loss of your eldest. I must apologize," Elrond said in a grave tone, "it must be difficult to bury your child."

"She wasn't my real daughter," Buffy chuckled as she steadied her horse along the rocky terrain. "At least, she wasn't really. But I don't think I'd ever love her any less if she was. They were both my girls… to lose both when I've fought so hard to get back would be devastating."

Elrond nodded as he considered her heartbreaking words. "I fear I have not heard tidings from my sons," he added, gesturing forward to two solid grey-cloaked beings riding side-by-side at the head of the column. "Perhaps it would be wise for you to ask them."

"Thank you," Buffy said, flashing the Elven Lord a quick smile before riding forward. Surpassing Lord Elrond's guard, she approached the two sons of Elrond who turned and gazed upon a vision in green riding fast upon them.

"Dear lady," the first said, frowning at her rather intriguing expression. "What troubles you?"

"I heard that you fought in Minas Tirith during the final battle," she replied.

"This is true," the second confirmed, bowing his head. "Forgive us, lady, but we do not know you. How can you speak to us if your name is unknown to us?"

"I'm Buffy," she said, offering a hasty smile. "All I know is that you two are absolutely identical."

They both smirked at her and exchanged a quick glance. "I am called Elrohir," the first one introduced himself as he gestured to the figure on Buffy's right. "This is my brother Elladan. And you are correct… we are the twin sons of Elrond."

"Would you know anything about a fleet of women sent from the north?" she asked, gazing between the two. Their gaze sobered and Elladan gave a small sigh as he turned back to face the woman's rather hasty expression. "My daughter was leading them."

"We have heard nothing," Elladan said apologetically. "All from the north were trapped near the old battle plains."

Buffy felt her breath catch in her throat and she blinked, glancing down. "Oh," she whispered.

"My lady," Elrohir said, glancing at his brother with alarm flashing through stormy-gray eyes, "please do not despair!"

"I'm not," she replied, glancing up. Both Elves saw that her gaze was far from distant. It was sheer determination. "If you had met her, you would know. She's a great fighter. I raised her myself. I taught her everything I knew… I gave her all she needed to know. Daire's a survivor. They all are. Excuse me." Turning, she allowed her horse to fall back slightly.

Elladan gazed at Elrohir before shifting his weight on his own steed. "She may not like what she finds. Her journey may have been made in vain."

"She must see for herself the hurts of this world," Elrohir replied softly. "Only then will she understand what she must do."

"I do not believe our Daernaneth has told her anything," Elladan said, his voice laced with concern.

"It would be best if we kept our silence."

"We shall," Elladan agreed. "She will discover all soon enough."

Turning back to the bright spring day, they continued riding onwards.

x-x-x

Minas Tirith was awash in beauty for Mid-Summer's day. Though the city had suffered utter hurt and despair in the past few months, there was a light breeze in the air and with it came a sudden gasp from one of the guards standing over the broken gates of the City of Kings. "There!" he shouted, gesturing outwards. "There!"

A guard standing below him squinted into the fields. The walls had been broken by the hundreds of thousands of dark forces that had swarmed their land not three months before. His eyes widened as he saw the standard of Gondor raised high at the front of a long column. He turned to see the guard who had shouted at him and quickly said, "I must go inform King Elessar."

"Do so," the guard replied, turning to the figure at his right. She was tall and gallant, with her long crimson cloak tied tightly about her shoulders. Her eyes peered into the distance and yet she said nothing. "It is as he foretold."

"I told you it would greatly benefit you to listen to him," she replied smartly, turning her back to march back to the citadel.

As the Elves came into the valley, there was a great murmur that spread through the city. King Elessar wore a knowing look. The rest of his guests to the great city wore looks of utter confusion as they did not know who to expect. The Elves then entered the city and began the long ride upwards. The guards had already pulled away from the gate an hour before and were now lining the streets as the standard of Gondor waved to and fro in the light breeze. On the top tier before the citadel and the seedling of the new White Tree stood the Lady Éowyn of Rohan and her Steward suitor, Faramir. Behind them were the greatest knights of Gondor all watching to see what would happen. King Elessar stood before the citadel wearing a bright expression. Gandalf stood slightly below him surrounded by Hobbits that were scratching their heads in confusion. Legolas and Gimli occupied the other side of the King and wore smug expressions, as though they knew secrets that the common folk did not.

It took the party a great while to scale six tiers. By the time Elladan and Elrohir reached the top, they were trying to poke one another with the staff of the standard. As they parted, the guardians of Elrond rode forward as the Elven Lord himself appeared before all. As he rode forward, he held out his hand as a secondary figure rode up on a calm grey steed. Her head was bowed and she was clothed in garments of the most beautiful shade of violet. Lifting her sea-grey eyes, she met the gaze of the one she loved most of all and smiled. It was a welcome smile, even as Elessar took a few hesitant steps forward.

Behind the Lady Arwen was someone else. Lord Elrond turned as Lady Galadriel rode up behind him, her arm gesturing to a single figure walking a horse up behind Elrond, looking small and rather insignificant next to such magnificent beings.

At once, the smug expression disappeared from the Elven Prince's face. Even as he stepped forward to welcome his brethren, his eyes were drawn to the figure attempting to hide herself behind the Elven Lord. It was obvious that no one told her such a procession would take place. But her eyes caught a movement. They were drawn to Legolas and then down to the glint of silver reflecting from about his throat. It was no ordinary Elven clasp he wore, no… it was silver and it was shaped as a cross.

Buffy felt as though she couldn't breathe for a second… Legolas, someone that she hadn't seen in quite possibly a decade, was wearing her cross.

Before she could even begin to process this, she heard a cry from behind her, as well as a loud roar of female voices. Some of the tones sounded familiar as Buffy turned, abandoning her steed to walk straight into the back of the standing Elves. Her jaw dropped as she saw a wave of crimson advancing steadily on her. A figure burst out from the sea and gazed upon her, tears trickling down pale cheeks. Buffy couldn't speak. She could barely move as it was. She just let the figure come near and take her into a pair of muscular arms. "Daire," she breathed at last as the young woman held her for a long moment. Buffy finally lifted her arms and held her daughter in return, thanking whichever powers existed in this world that at least one of her children had survived.

"You're alive!" Daire murmured, stepping back and bringing her hands to cover her tear-filled eyes. "Oh, please forgive the tears."

"Tears need no forgiveness," Buffy replied, attempting to hold her own emotions in check. It was then that she saw a sea of faces surrounding her. She recognized Mauve immediately and beamed at her former lieutenant. Despite the fact that her reunion with her true family had garnered the attention of the Elves, she could care less. All at once, they seemed to step back and bow down to her. Buffy blinked in confusion and glanced at Daire, who wore a knowing smile. "What is this?"

"We never thought we would see you again!" Mauve said, rising from where she had been kneeling with a fond smile at the younger-looking woman. "You must tell us of your survival… oh, please, dear lady."

"But first, what of Siri?" Daire asked, glancing over Buffy's shoulder at the long line of Elves. Some of them had turned back to Elessar. Most of them wore pitying expressions. "Oh, please say not that she has fallen!"

"She fell," Buffy affirmed, her tone breaking slightly. "She died in her blaze of glory."

There was a murmur of alarm between the women, all of whom turned to glance at Daire. "Who will lead us now?" a younger woman asked, looking despairingly at her leader. "Our people need someone to lead them."

"They have someone," Buffy said, steeling herself for this next decision. "But perhaps it can wait. We seem to have interrupted something."

To her surprise, Daire took her by the arm and walked her to the front of the column. Lady Arwen had already dismounted from her steed and her hand was tucked safely inside King Elessar's. Buffy's eyes widened as she recognized Strider. The small creatures had to be Hobbits. The white-haired Wizard was well-known to her, but seeing him in white robes meant that he had an interesting story to tell as well. The Dwarf was more than obvious as she could see that stout figure glaring at the proceedings. Legolas, on the other hand, was a different story.

He was gazing at her with those eyes, holding her attention even as some ceremony went on in the background. Gandalf was speaking, she could tell that for certain. But something inside of her had clicked suddenly and the past ten years had disappeared with a glance and an embrace. She was back where she needed to be and the deep-set guilt of leaving her loved ones behind would just have to remain buried for the time being. This was the happiest day of their lives and she refused to let her darkness dampen the festivities.

Daire remained at her side, dabbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her crimson cloak. Buffy took a moment to glance over her youngest child. Daire had grown up these past few years. She looked a lot like her father more than anyone, Buffy thought fondly. She was going to have to tell her that. This would come after Buffy explained that Daire was the new leader of her people, of course.

The ceremony ended and there was great applause. Buffy seemed to awaken from her stupor and brought her hands together, although she didn't quite know why she was clapping. Her people had come up from behind her and stood, surrounding their former leader, sheltering her from the many curious eyes. There were whispers then of why a woman had come with a large group of Elves.

King Elessar and Queen Arwen now stepped towards the people. The Elves had moved back to give them plenty of space. As Elessar glanced around, his gaze fell upon a small blonde-haired woman dressed splendidly in the garments of the Elves. His gaze shifted to Legolas and he smirked. His Elvish friend obviously wanted out of the procession to go to her. He leaned over and nudged the tall Thranduilion. "Go," he muttered into the Prince's shoulder. Legolas drew his eyes away and gave a slight shake of his head.

"This day is for you, my friend."

"And the dead has returned to life," Elessar said, literally jabbing his elbow into the Elf's ribs. "You have not taken your eyes from her."

"She cannot be real," Legolas replied in a low voice. They were getting very close now. Elessar noticed that the small woman was looking rather anxious. She didn't have anywhere to hide, either, as there was a sea of red standing behind her and just in front of her were the many Elves whom she had ridden with. There was no place left to go.

"Come," Elessar said to Arwen, leaving the Woodland Prince behind. Arwen followed obediently, her smile growing as she saw the small blonde surrounded by red cloaks.

"Strider," Buffy smirked, gazing up at him. "It's good to see you again. You wear a good crown."

"As did you, my lady," Elessar said, bowing his head. "They call me Elessar now, or Elf-stone. You have met Arwen?" he asked, drawing his wife into the conversation.

"We met on the journey," Buffy said, bowing her head respectively. "Congratulations."

Arwen gave Elessar a fond smile as she glanced over the many women who stood behind their leader. "These women are your warriors?"

"Always," Buffy returned, feeling her eyes mist as she glanced at the women around her.

Elessar gently released Arwen's arm and leaned over to speak to her. "We must speak as soon as the welcome is worn," he whispered. He knew that she could hear him. "For those of us who have heard the tale many times, you were dead."

Her eyes were dark as he pulled away. "I don't think you'd believe it even if I did tell you."

"You forget my kin," Elessar beamed, gesturing as the two twin sons of Elrond came to their sister.

Buffy's eyes suddenly grew sad as she viewed their warm embraces. Biting her lip, she nodded. "We'll talk."

Elessar gave her a parting smile. The women around her all bowed down again. It seemed to be something that they had been trained to do on command. Buffy knew that if she ever stepped in as leader again, it would be one of the first things she altered. But before she could dwell on those thoughts, the figure that had been behind Elessar came forward and she forgot how to think at all.

At once, Daire began to bow again, but Buffy's hand reached out and clipped her shoulder. "Don't," she murmured as Daire straightened, glancing at Buffy in confusion. Both of their gazes were critical, as though trying to see past the ten years that had distanced them.

"My lady," Legolas finally said after an awkward moment of silence. He bowed his head slightly and turned to walk away.

Buffy blinked as she stared after him. It took a nudge from Daire and Mauve's hissed words, "Go after him, you fool!" that finally carried her into action. Taking a few steps forward, she reached out and touched his arm. He turned around quickly, his eyes narrowing. She quickly withdrew her hand at his withering look and felt as though her breath had stopped. Her cross was so close. She felt her fingers slowly move forward to gently graze the cold metal.

"Didn't know you liked silver," she said softly, her fingers reaching over to graze her precious necklace. His hand moved to cover hers and her gaze lifted to meet his.

"This was precious to you," he replied evenly.

"And you've kept it all these years," she marveled, refusing to break eye contact. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"Ere you left, you were someone close to me," he replied, feeling as her fingers twisted beneath his. Her hand drew away, but he could still feel the warmth of her touch. He moved his hand from the cross to touch her face. Her skin still held some of its golden hue, courtesy of the small amount of time she had spent in California. "You are real."

"I'm not a ghost," she chided as she felt his cool hand touch her face. She felt flushed for some reason. "But I am real. See?" She leaned over, poking his arm away. "Real as can be."

"I quite imagine you have an interesting story to tell," he replied, his hand moving away.

"I don't think you'd believe it," she deadpanned, recalling the incredulous expression on Galadriel's face when she spoke of time travel through the use of magic. It was as though Galadriel knew it could happen, but never believed it had happened before. Buffy had held her tongue, knowing that Tara had once been a part of this world. Whether it was during this time or some time in the future after the fall of darkness, she didn't know. "But I'm not going anywhere."

It was nearing sunset as Legolas and Buffy strolled beneath the gardens. Though the trees were twisted and dead, there was a trace of former beauty amongst the crisped leaves and cracked railings. She had spent a majority of the afternoon telling him what had happened. Daire had allowed her lady to go off with the Elf because she had her own reasons to celebrate; her mother was alive and well. Though she had no idea why Buffy was alive, she knew that she would be informed in due time.

"That is quite a tale," Legolas replied after a long pause. Buffy had moved to the railing and was glancing at the blood-red sunset, her gaze clouded. "To travel through space and time with the words of one as powerful as Lady Galadriel…"

"It's the truth," she sighed, closing her eyes. "I was there. I felt it. I lived it. I don't want to go through it again."

"Why would they wish for you to return to your former time?"

"There was no real reason," Buffy shrugged. "I think it's because they missed me."

"They were not alone."

She opened her eyes and turned to glance at him. "Are you saying that I was missed here?"

"Indeed."

"I know I missed a few battles and pretty much the entire war, but—"

"That was not why you were missed, although your sword-arm could have been of great use," Legolas replied. His voice was growing softer as he gazed out at the beauty of the sky. Facing west, he smiled as he heard the gentle cry of the gulls.

"Rats with wings," muttered the voice at his elbow.

His smile grew as he regarded her. Extraordinary as her tale was, it did not compare to seeing her in the flesh once again. She was as lovely as he had recalled and as sarcastic as she had been. Things had not changed with her, he realized. She had been through something so large he could not comprehend it, and he had lived for a thousand years. "You should not assume that all things are ill."

"All they do is eat and defecate," she muttered.

"They are a sign to those of us who wish to travel west," Legolas informed her. Her smile fell slightly as she pondered his words.

"When you put it that way," she smirked. "They're still rats with wings that eat and make noise."

"Some things will never change," Legolas replied.

"Well, considering my time, I've only been gone six months," Buffy said, turning away from him. "I guess you can say I haven't changed much. There's no more shadow. There's no more Siri." She hadn't yet told him of the battle where Siri had been killed, nor did she wish to. Daire deserved to learn this information first. "But I fulfilled the promise to your dear Dad so he can't hold threats over me anymore."

"That was never his intention," Legolas added.

"It wasn't?" She was looking at him in surprise now.

"He would have asked you to remain at his side through the ages," Legolas smirked. "He knows that you are not mortal."

"See, I would have had a problem with that," Buffy laughed. "As much as I like your Dad… or rather respect him, I think I like his son more."

He was gazing at her again. Lifting her arms from the railing, she continued to walk through the gardens. Around them shadows were cast to the walls. A great bell began to toll from the citadel. "We must return," Legolas said quietly from behind her.

"I know," she muttered. "I'm not ready yet."

"What must you ready yourself for?"

"There is something I have to know," Buffy said, turning around to look at him. As she did, the light caught the silver cross. She felt like laughing at the hint of confusion across his brow. Taking a deep breath, she moved forward towards him. Before he could even wager at her actions, she had reached up and used his shoulders to pull him down to her. As her lips met his, he felt her hand grasp his neck and pull his head nearer. At once, she knew why it was worth it. If she could have imagined stars and fireworks, it would have been at this moment. His arms gently surrounded her and she felt as though this perfect moment was wrapped up within this one embrace. When they finally stepped apart, she was slightly flushed. Her eyes were wide as she gazed at him, her feet planting back firmly on the ground.

"Like I said," she whispered in a hushed tone, "I just had to know."

His smirk was all she needed to see, she thought. Although she had initiated the kiss, there was intensity on his end. Elves were amongst the gentlest creatures she had met, but within them was a passion that seemed to undeniably draw her in. Whatever she had once felt for him had been justified, she thought, slowly following him out of the garden towards the citadel towering a tier over their heads. Galadriel's words came back, ringing in her head. A smile crept across her face as she pondered these words. She still had more confessions to make, including a long talk with Daire. But the rest of the world seemed to be clearly awaiting something from her.

Oh, the things she could do…

x-x-x-x

The last part… Buffy makes a difficult decision which will ensure her people's safety forever…


	20. Part XX

I CAPTURE THE SUN

**Pairings**: Buffy/Legolas.

**Teaser**: Complete. Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

**Rating**: T, by the new fanfiction standards.

**Revised Summary**: Buffy Summers had been given a new life and for thirty years she lived as the powerful, feared leader of a warrior clan of women… and then her friends pulled her out of Heaven. Now she lives in a world she no longer understands surrounded by people who cannot help her. Friendships will be tested and loyalties will be stretched to their limits but she will never rest until she fulfills her last promise and fights in the war she knows has come.

**Disclaimer**: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

**Timeline**: The story is currently set mid-Summer after the Return of the King.

**Gratitudes**: Thank you, thank you, thank you. You people are amazing readers and reviewers. If you have not reviewed as of yet, I will ask that you just leave a note saying whether or not you enjoyed this story. I would much appreciate it. To those of you who have faithfully followed this story, you have my eternal gratitude. I only wish I could repay it.

**Notes**: There may be a sequel to this story at some point, but it will be a long time coming. We just buried my father-in-law two weeks ago and spent two weeks away from school in Pennsylvania, no less. Now with two weeks of course work to catch up on, we will likely be very busy through the holidays and next semester looks no less time-consuming. While these stories have been written for ages, it will take quite some time to write something of this length again. Needless to say, I fully intend to write another Lord of the Rings crossover… how could I not use my favorite genre? Thank you for being such dedicated readers.

**Part Summary**: Buffy makes a pact to ensure her people's safety and also makes the most important decision about her future.

x-x-x-x

**Part XX**

x-x-x-x

There was a sudden movement in the darkness. Blinking and craning her neck in an attempt to see who was approaching, Daire quickly calmed when she saw her adopted mother. "Buffy," she breathed in relief.

"You did show up," Buffy said nonchalantly, finally reaching the girl's side. "Good… that will make this easier." Taking a deep breath, she began to tell Daire of Siri's final battle. Though they had not been related as sisters, they were still cousins and Buffy could see that Daire took the news of Siri's death hard.

"That is most grievous," she murmured, turning her face to the waning moon and shivering in a sudden gust of wind that followed Buffy's tidings. "Had you not shown up when you had, more would have died."

"You're probably right," Buffy agreed as the two began to walk around the gardens. "But I returned from my deadly imprisonment just in time to watch more of the people I trained to survive die. It doesn't inspire a lot of confidence."

Daire glanced at the smaller woman. "Why did you return? When last I heard, you had disappeared and Siri took your oath to Thranduil in your stead."

"I returned because I had to," Buffy said dryly. "I think the correct question would be… why did you disappear?"

"Well?"

"It's complicated," Buffy said with a dramatic sigh. "It involves magic, friends and a really dark place in my mind I have no intention of returning to."

"But you were there," Daire replied, pausing as she watched Buffy continue on. "Surely you must have felt something about your surroundings."

"Yeah, I felt something," Buffy surmised. "I missed the place… but it's not the same as it used to be. I think I've spent too much time here."

Daire leaned against the rail, turning away from her adoptive mother. "Do you even like it here?"

"Sometimes," the other woman admitted. "And sometimes I wish I was back there. Time hardly passed… everyone looked the same. Everyone remembered me as being someone they could count on. I don't think they expected I was somewhere else. I don't think they expected me to want to be back here. But I had to come… I've spent more time here than I ever spent there… if that makes any sense," she continued sarcastically. "I'm just winding my brain around and around and around…"

"Do not feel guilty," Daire advised her. "You will only succeed in driving yourself mad."

"Yeah," Buffy said softly, remembering the look on Dawn's face – the heartbroken, devastated look that she remembered when she first told Dawn she loved her before diving to her death. "It goes something like that. But enough about the bad… how about the good? Before we left the forest, I was told that you're engaged."

"He lives still?"

"Oh, yeah," Buffy said slowly, feeling something tighten in her stomach. "About that…"

"Oh, tell me not that another one I loved has fallen," Daire moaned, dropping her head into her arms.

Buffy leaned forward and rubbed Daire's back in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. "I don't know, honestly. Too many died and I never knew their names." She paused. "I promised myself I would never let that happen. I told myself not to get close. But I was involved, right up to the top of my rather short head. The night that Edrae died… the night your parents died… the night Meira died… so many have gone. So many are lost. I didn't think I would ever get the chance to see anyone I cared for again."

"But you have, have you not?" Daire inquired curiously. Buffy wore such a sad look on her face that she wanted to reach out to her.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you're alive," Buffy replied honestly. "Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you. Of all the women I've trained over the years… you're the one I'm most proud of. Because, in a way, I've had you the longest." Her lips suddenly curved into a small, fond smile. "Did I ever tell you what your mother told me the night before she died? She told me to look after you as I would my kin. Well, that makes no sense considering I've got no kin. But I watched over you… protected you, guided you, trained you, invented you… created you. I created you into me. What you fight, how you think, how you leap into battle without a second's thought about how you are risking your life to save a world… I can't believe you learned. I never thought I would ever see the day where my knowledge would be passed on like that." Her eyes were strangely misted over as she continued on. "I turned you into the strongest woman I know. I've given you my heart and soul and now… you can use these to do what is necessary to lead them." Reaching down, she grasped a small box and lifted it. "This belonged to your cousin… I felt it best to give it to you."

Daire took the box and opened it, finding a small jewel set on a strand of silver within. "Buffy…"

"I'm not the leader I was, Daire," Buffy continued on as Daire's mouth opened and closed in shock. "I can't lead them the way you can. This is your destiny. You were born to lead these people. You were born for something more than just war and grief and death and destruction. It's time to set aside your sword and pick up your crown. It's waiting for you… in Lake Town, it's waiting for you. It's got your name on it… and it's not going anywhere."

"What about you?" Daire dared to ask.

"For a long time, I thought my destiny was to fight the forces of darkness," she admitted as they continued walking again. "I did the best I could. I trained my own army, fought my own battles... but somewhere along the line, I messed up. I made a mistake. I started to care too much about the things around me instead of my own destiny."

"What destiny is this?"

"I told you the one girl in all the world theory, right?" Buffy asked, frowning. "Well… the same rules still apply. I've got so much potential and I never realized how much I had until I lost it all. When they brought me back to a different prison, I felt trapped and torn. I realized that I could make a difference here. And I will… but not as a leader. What I need to do, I can't do with the people behind me. It should have been just me from the start."

"If it had been you," Daire choked, "you would have suffered at the hands of Sauron utterly! How could you say that? You are the strongest person I know and this goes beyond the realm of the Elves."

"I may have turned into the darkness, or the darkness would have choked on me," Buffy replied with a bittersweet smile. "But still I have to do what is necessary to ensure my people's survival. There are dark things in this world that none have yet seen. I have felt them. I still feel them. My time with my people is over. I have to find myself now."

"What means can you possibly do…" Daire began, but Buffy was smiling.

"Mordor holds many secrets and I feel like I have so much I can do there," Buffy replied gently. "And beyond that… the east beckons. There is a dark force calling out to me and I'm going out there."

"And what of your people?" Daire whispered, her eyes wide with shock for the third time this eve. "Do you seek to abandon them?"

Buffy gave a grim smile as she glanced down. "I will never abandon my people. You took me in and gave me shelter when I needed it the most. And in the end your elders chose me to lead you. I've taught you everything I can and you know everything you need to. Now it's your turn, just as it was Siri's." She held up her hand as Daire opened her mouth to protest. "As for abandoning you… I would never do that. When you needed me the most, I was there. I will always be there, but I can't always protect you. I taught you how to do that on your own. Siri's pride was the reason why she died. It wasn't lack of skill." She leaned forward to grasp Daire's shoulder as the younger woman was suddenly looking crestfallen. "Don't grieve for me. Don't waste your tears. There are plenty to waste."

"What hope is there for a future for our people?" Daire asked fearfully. "What if war comes again?"

Buffy's smile was absolute this time. "I have a plan for that," she assured her daughter plainly. "Don't worry about that. If there's one thing I've learned from dealing with Thranduil, it's the value of an alliance. And there are still a few cards yet to play."

x-x-x

Morning soon came, and with it the air of a new day. Though parts of the city were in utter ruin, there was still the whisper of hope and renewal. After all, these people had seen the marriage of their King Elessar to their Queen Undomiel. Female knights donned in red armor swept through Minas Tirith regally, often pushing the knights of Gondor out of their posts with the promise of time spent with their families. Mauve was no different. The lieutenant stood her ground at the front gates above the demolished doors to the city, her cool gaze sweeping the horizon. A knight of Gondor stood beside her, staring at her incredulously. She had remained at this post all through the night and still showed no signs of exhaustion.

"I have been trained well," she told him coolly as he questioned her intentions. "We once had to run around-the-clock posts."

"That must have been difficult," the knight replied. Though he had once served under Boromir at Osgiliath, they rarely stood their post for an entire day and night. "Your captain must have been a slave-driver."

"You know nothing of her," Mauve replied, a bite to her tone as she gave the knight a sideways glance. "Gondor has had the protection of its army for many years. My _captain _created hers from the dust, literally. Most of the knights that protected the royal family were slain in battle with the Dark Elves and Orcs from Mordor. So before you open your mouth to speak on bated breath, perhaps you would consider that not all of us have been as privileged to such great leadership as you have."

"My captain fell in battle because the one Ring drove him mad," the knight replied softly.

"My captain is dead," Mauve concluded. "She walks and sleeps and breathes and consumes but inside she needs not take a single breath of air or sleep a single night. It is perhaps this knowledge most of all that drove her to her old ways." A wry smile suddenly formed on her lips. "Had she not done what she did, few would be loyal to her today."

"Absolute loyalty to a woman," the man breathed, unable to comprehend how this could be so. "She must be extraordinary."

"She truly is," Mauve agreed, folding her arms before her. "Even after my brothers were lost in the wars of the past, she showed me that I could have the strength to beat back any army of Mordor. I thought her mad until the time came for us to fight. When we went into that field, everything seemed so clear… to stand and fight as though nothing in this world mattered more."

"She seems so strange," the man mused from beside her. "She carries the loyalty of all, and yet she stands not the height of a horse."

"You know not her strength until you are on the receiving end of her blow," Mauve countered. "Only then would you realize she is invincible." She paused, considering her words.

"Invincible?" the knight asked in a quiet, deadened tone. "Invincible? Surely you do not mean…"

"There was a reason why she was brought to this world," Mauve replied in an amused voice. "Yet she holds no shadow nor bears a single wound despite the darkest murmurs of her heart. Her path lies beyond what we know or what we could possibly fathom. She may no longer lead us, yet she commands the respect of all. Even your King Elessar respects her power. Granted, she may not yet know the extent to her true abilities, but that is a test of what is to come."

"What do you speak of?" the knight asked, looking amazed at the woman's words.

"I speak that she will not live in a world of peace," Mauve sighed. "She was created to thrive in the darkest places where the lights have gone out. She was brought here for a purpose and as she cannot yet leave this world to pass to the next, she must fulfill her true destiny. Only then can she truly be free. Only then will she be utterly whole."

They fell silent as the sun continued to rise, the warm light reflecting from their garments and from their faces. The city came to life behind them and they abandoned watch to speak with the local citizens. It was only when Mauve noticed a cloud of dust rapidly approaching from the distance did she call out, "Look! There are riders ahead!"

"So, there are," the knight replied, his eyes narrowed. He could see a tiny speckle on the horizon, but he knew not what it was. "Your eyesight must be akin to the Elves for I cannot see light nor tail of what is out there."

Again she gave him her superior smile. "As I have said, you did not train with our lady." She paused. "But perhaps there are things you can learn."

They lapsed into silence again; Mauve was watching the dust cloud roam closer as horses with riders atop them came ever nearer to the city. The knight of Gondor, on the other hand, continued to frown at the horizon and glare at Mauve, completely disbelieving of the fact that her sight was superior to his own. He had learned long ago that women could not see as well as the men, yet this one seemed capable of seeing something he could not. This woman who had trained them, the one that had ridden into the city with the Elves, must have skills beyond even Elvish training for her own knights to carry such skill.

x-x-x

He had been looking all over the city for her. Since the night before, he had been looking for her. He wished to speak with her and yet she seemed to be avoiding him. He glanced around the small gardens that Daire told him she had been sitting at the night before. Yet the gardens were dead and dim and the woman he searched for was nowhere in sight. He knew not frustration, but he was starting to feel annoyed. When this woman wanted to hide, she was definitely a master of the craft.

She had arrived at the reception dinner and had dined with her people before disappearing. Sometime during the night, she had spoken with Daire. She had then given orders to the knights that were posted around the city. After that, she had simply vanished. He thought she may have gone to rest, but realized then she needed no sleep. He had checked the room that King Elessar had granted to her and found it to be empty. He had checked every last eatery or gathering place on the level and found no trace of the mysterious woman.

After asking the Elvish guard that had escorted her to alert him the moment they had seen her, he stalked off to the Citadel. He was far from irritated, but the fact she had disappeared meant that she thought she had done something wrong. After the previous night, he kept thinking about how different things now seemed. He saw the world in the same crystal-clear light as normal, but there was something new about his friend. Yes, he had called her his friend now, something he had been reluctant to do in the past because of all the ire she had caused him and his household. He had done his best to welcome her but had desisted in getting too close. And yet she had developed some sort of feelings for him, feelings that he was almost hesitant to return. This was in part why he wished to speak with her. He had to know her intentions before he could even begin to decipher what it was he felt.

The seventh and final tier was as empty as the rest. The Citadel stood stoically before him and the great arch and the new sapling stood behind. He marched forward towards the Citadel. He knew he wouldn't find her within. She seemed to avoid these places as though they were a plague.

Inside stood King Elessar, facing the throne with a puzzled expression on his face. As Legolas approached, the King turned and nodded to his longtime friend. "I am pleased that you found me, my friend," Elessar began, turning to sit on his throne as though testing the seat for something he wasn't expecting. It was then that Legolas noticed a second chair had been placed next to the throne, one he assumed was for Arwen.

"This is a sleepy morning," Legolas said quietly, watching as his friend continued to move the throne chair and seat back and forth. "Should you not have another move these things? It would be a pity if you were trapped beneath one."

Elessar gave him a look that said he was far less than amused. "Have you seen Buffy?" he asked casually, finally resting down in his throne and reaching for a goblet on a nearby table. "She has been looking for you this morn."

Legolas frowned as he glared at the King, though his glance was far from harmful. "She has been looking for me?" he asked incredulously. "I have searched for her since dawn and have yet to see sight or hear word of her. She truly becomes invisible when she wishes it."

Elessar glanced at his friend, frowning himself. "She said that she needed to speak with the rest of her guards that were not at post. She wishes to tell them of her future plans as she will not remain in Gondor, Rohan or the forests to the north." He sighed, staring at the skylights admitting brilliant sunlight in shadowy flashes across his throne room. "She keeps speaking of her journey to the east, but the only journey east is death."

"One who is dead cannot die again," Legolas surmised. He was getting frustrated now… she hadn't told him of these plans the night before when she all but admitted her true feelings to him.

Elessar was watching him carefully as he sipped from his goblet. "She spoke of the necessity to find herself before she could return to a world she feels she is not ready for," he said quietly, setting the goblet aside. He looked uncertain as whether to continue or not, but Legolas' face looked so dire he plunged on. "She cares for you, mellon nín. Do not doubt her intentions."

"I do not yet know of her intentions," Legolas replied calmly. "As I have said, we have not spoken since last night before your gala. I do wish to speak with her ere she leaves."

Elessar frowned again as he gazed seriously at the Woodland Elf. "She intends to leave as soon as she is able. I know not where these plans came from, nor where her intentions truly lie, but I do now that she treads a dangerous path between darkness, despair and destiny. She told me herself that I have found my destiny and nearly died for it. She keeps speaking of her destiny as something only the dead could achieve."

"There is nothing east but death and despair," Legolas replied. "How can she believe that she can go east?"

"Do you really think I'm afraid of the dark?" a feminine voice asked behind him. He turned and spied the small-boned woman as she walked closer to them. Her face was inscrutable, yet her eyes carried a determination Legolas knew all too well. "I stopped being afraid when I was four."

"There is not only darkness to fear," Legolas replied coolly. "There is also a path to the unknown."

"The unknown becomes known when it's explored," she reminded him, her eyebrows rising at his expression. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

Aragorn wore a knowing smirk as Legolas trudged after the woman back into the cool late-morning air.

"Ah," she said, tipping her face to the sun. "This is something a girl could get used to." Turning, she saw that Legolas wouldn't stop giving her that cool, perceptive look he had patented over his hundreds-of-years lifespan. "What is it?"

"Is it true?" he asked quietly. "Do you mean to leave Gondor and the forests of the north behind to satisfy some whim to travel east?"

She nodded slowly. "You didn't expect me to sit here and do nothing for the rest of my life, did you?" she asked quietly. "I'm hardly a sit-by-the-hearth-and-knit kind of girl."

"But you are hardly a woman to search for more dangerous times than the ones we have already faced!" he exclaimed, surprised by the force of his own voice. "How can you ask this of yourself?"

"I believe the correct question is 'why are you trying to die'," Buffy replied wryly, folding her arms as she stared at the cloudless sky. After a long while, she heaved a great sigh and glanced at him. "I don't know what's out there. I don't know what I'm looking for, but I believe that whatever I know I'm looking for is out there."

"What of your allegiance to my father?" Legolas asked. "What of your people?" He wanted to ask of himself too, but forced his voice to stop where it had.

"Your father will remember me as the person who covered his ass at the end," Buffy replied, an uncharacteristically harsh look on her face as she continued. "As for my people, I have something in mind for them." Her face softened. "As for… well…" She gestured at him lamely. "I don't know what I was thinking. I don't know if I can go through this again, after everything I've been through. After everything I've fought for, I'm not about to be some happy woman waiting at home for her honey to come back. The world doesn't work that way." Her face wore a dark look now. "What I did last night… it was stupid. I did it out of the blue. I hope you're not insulted because I don't think I could…" Her voice trailed off and she forced herself to look away.

"Do not lie to me," he said, reaching for her arm. "Do not tell me you do not feel something."

"I feel something," she replied, glancing over her shoulder up at him. "I just don't know if I can trust it. Now, or ever. Something brought me back to this world and I'm trying awfully hard to believe it wasn't just you."

He was surprised to hear her speak of this, for her trust in men had been shattered within her first year here. "You wish to believe that there is one worthy of your love."

"I never said love," she replied hastily, pulling herself from his grasp. "But I know in the end that I'm the one that ends up alone. There's only supposed to be a single chosen one." She saw the light on his face and felt as though her very essence was shattering as much as she hated to admit it. "I can't…" But she couldn't force herself to say it. Finally, she tried again. "I do feel something for you. It's strong and it's there and it's wild and it makes me feel alive. I feel warm again. I want to hold onto this warmth, so badly… but now is not the time."

"There is more for you here than certain death?"

"I can't die!" she cried, turning away as she pounded her thighs with her small but powerful fists. "Do you have any idea what it is like for me to know that I can't die? Death is something I breathe, dream and live for. The chance of a lifetime is to go out in some blaze of glory and yet… here I am. I'm a dysfunctional model of the what-was and the what-could-be is just as small and stupid and…" She took a deep breath. "Here I go rambling again… I'm sorry. But before I can do anything else, I have to know."

"What must be so important for you to know that you would risk everything you ever stood for?" Legolas asked her quietly.

"I want to feel alive," she whispered. "I feel a fire, but it's frozen. I feel so cold, yet my body is warm to the touch. Everything I thought about myself, everything I took for granted… it's all been ripped away. How can I be a Slayer when everything I am has turned to dust? There's no war here. I'm not a shadow of living death. I'm alive and I have to find out why. Why would someone give me this… this _gift _and not expect me to find out why I have it?"

"This is truly what you desire?" Legolas asked, watching as she started off again.

"I have to know," she said, turning to look at him. "I asked Galadriel, but she just said in that annoyingly soft voice of hers that even the wisest cannot say. I know I'm not the smartest one here. I may not be the strongest. But I am determined. I have to know," she repeated, seeing the calm, expressionless look on his face. "I just have to."

"I understand," he replied simply. "I truly do."

The look on her face altered to concern as she saw the way his azure eyes lifted away to gaze at the sky. "I want to feel something more for you," she sighed. "But…"

"This is not the time for such matters," Legolas concluded, seeing the look on her face.

"I'm so sorry," she replied. "Maybe there will be a time…"

Legolas glanced up again, watching as two stray gulls took the sky and fluttered overhead. "Each day my soul longs to travel the Sea to the West. My days in this world are numbered."

"I know," she said, her tone cracking for the first time. "But I also know that if I don't find out what I need to, I'll regret it. It would be just the same if I loved you knowing that you wanted to be somewhere else."

His eyes moved from the gulls to her face. It was difficult to read, yet had she said what she had? She smiled at the slightly confused expression on his face before moving towards him. She reached up and pulled his face to hers before she pressed her lips to his in a chaste kiss. After she had pulled back, she smiled. "Thank you," she said, stepping around him and moving away.

Legolas moved his hand to where she had touched him, unaware that her hands could be so heated. "That woman," he muttered softly. He had met many in his time, yet none were quite like her. Time was no stranger to his people, who lived a great while before the call of the west pulled them near. Yet the more he thought about it, the more he realized that losing her again after she had disappeared the first time was not a destiny he had in mind.

x-x-x

"Éomer, my friend, it is good to see you within these halls again."

The King of Rohan had just strolled into the Citadel, his eyes taking in the legendary décor and the grand banners. "It is good to be back here," the King replied solemnly. "I only wished I would return under better circumstances."

"I assume you wish to leave as soon as you are able?" Elessar asked lightly, glancing up from his spot at a table in a small room near the throne room. "I do not blame you for your haste."

"There is much yet to be done," Éomer agreed as he sat at the opposite end of the table.

Elessar had a strange look in his eyes as he regarded the other King somewhat wearily. "I wish I had better tidings, yet I do not…" His voice trailed off delicately as the doors behind the King of Rohan burst open and a single figure strode inside. Éomer turned to glance at the soul interrupting his rather private meeting with the King of Gondor.

"What is this?" Éomer asked in disbelief, spying a woman. She was short in stature and she looked rather, well, elegant wasn't quite the right word. She wore a gown only a woman of highest royal heritage should wear, but that was not what drew his attention to her. Her back was rigid and she held herself with the highest authority. Her clear hazel eyes searched his questioningly, yet she refused to back down, even at the hands of two Kings of men. "Who are you?"

"Sit," Elessar said to the woman quietly, nodding to the third chair at their table. "She asked to speak with you, my brother."

"Is this a trick?" Éomer asked, gazing suspiciously at the young woman.

"This is no trick," the woman said, speaking up at last. She was leaning casually on her arms, gazing thoughtfully at the King of Rohan. "Strider and I go way back before the Ring war even started. You and I, on the other hand…"

"You and I?" Éomer asked, aghast. "This is a wizard's riddle!"

"Met him too," she replied, sounding bored. Rolling her eyes at his rather startled expression, she saw that Elessar was looking amused. "The point is, I'm here on behalf of my people. You probably don't know them, but your history does."

"My… history?" he asked faintly.

"I'm a little rusty about the history part," she continued, her voice losing a bit of its warmth and confidence. "But I believe in your past you had some… nephew person and he… besieged… was it Edoras?" Her voice was now choppy and she sounded slightly confused. "It doesn't matter. What I know is… Fruity… or… Fresca… why aren't you helping?" she asked, glaring at Elessar, who was barely managed to contain his laughter, much less the grin now spreading across his face. "I'm not the native here, buddy."

"You were doing well by yourself," he managed to choke out before he was overcome by fits of laughter. Her glare turned more hostile as she sighed.

"You're so funny," she deadpanned, rolling her eyes as she turned back to Éomer. "The point is, these people that I have… they're yours. Sort of."

Elessar, finally catching his breath, took a deep breath. "She speaks the truth," he said to the skeptical King of Rohan. "Her people were once akin to Freca."

Éomer's face suddenly broke out into a dark look as he glared fearfully at the woman. "What madness is this?" he demanded.

"Whoa, hold on," Buffy snapped back, holding up her hand. "I didn't say 'hey, I'm here to usurp your crown'. I said that the people I led used to be akin to that Dunlander that tried to take the crown from Helm Hammerhead." Had she actually used the word 'usurp'?

"Hammer_hand_," Elessar said quietly from her right.

"Him, too," Buffy replied, her eyes never leaving Éomer's face. "Look… they didn't really know Freca. He had a brother he sent most of his 'friends' with and they went east. As the generations went on, the same lie was sent down and soon I was stuck in this forest surrounded by these knights crying out to King Théoden." Éomer's face slowly slackened as he realized what she said. "They knew that Freca was out of his mind. That's why they left. But they never stopped believing that they were better than him. I should know. I raised the last two children of that line." She paused. "They took a great risk crossing the Misty Mountains to find their home, only to realize that stunted drunks ran the show. They're not of Dunland. They don't even look like them. Well, aside from the dark hair and those tempers… the point is, they're Rohan… in… ish…" Her tone trailed off helplessly.

"The point she is making is that she believes it would be in both of your great interests if you would consider an alliance with the people of the north," Elessar said, his face serious now.

"You cannot be serious," Éomer whispered, glancing from this beguiling woman to his dearest friend, the King who stood at his side. "To trust those that held the crown and all but murdered Helm!"

"I didn't do anything, and they don't deserve the grudge," Buffy said, her tone cutting through the tension like a knife. "They're good people. They know what their past told them was a lie. They know that Rohan is the crown of these people, not me." She looked slightly ashamed as she continued on. "The last… Prince… asked me to lead them before he died. I've done the best I can, but it's not my turn anymore. I gave the crown to Daire, but should the time come when the north is attacked again, I want her to know that she can count on the men in the south. There is an army numbering about, oh, three thousand or so up there. They know how to fight and I think they're rather good at it."

Éomer had a slightly dazed look upon his face now, and what made matters worse was when the doors opened and two more women stalked in. He gazed at them, his brow furrowed. He had seen these women before. They came into Gondor with bows strapped to their backs in cloaks of a deep blood-red and yet they had seemed like Gondorian women. Now he realized that they were not of the kin of Gondor but of his own blood. His eyes narrowed as both women approached, sweeping off their hoods and nodding in respect to the King of Gondor who, smirking, nodded back.

"I told you not to come," Buffy said through clenched teeth. She was close to losing Éomer's attention span, she knew. Eru knew that his attention span was that of a horse.

"I thought we could be of use," the smaller one said. She looked younger than the taller woman who stood stoically behind the two, her hands locked behind her back. Her eyes gazed forward, yet there was a pride in her face. Éomer frowned; this strange woman had been right – they were both dark of hair and complexion. They certainly looked as though they were from Gondor.

"How do I know you speak the truth?" he asked caustically, quieting the conversation between the two women.

"I guess that's just something you'll have to find out," Buffy said, standing up. "Now, if you'll excuse me—"

"Wait," Daire said, latching her hand onto Buffy's shoulder and forcing the smaller woman to sit. "You question our allegiance to Gondor, do you? Or is this an attack on the one we saw as our guardian and Prince?"

Éomer felt his lips curl into a sneer. This stupid girl was making it all too easy…

"How dare you say these things?"

His sneer fell from his face as he saw the stoic woman glaring at him. She looked older than the other two with lines on her forehead and around her lips. But there was a cold, hard look in her eyes he did not quite trust.

"You know not of the horrors we saw when we returned to the land our history called our home. They laughed at us. They gave us land and welcomed us home, only to betray us openly to Saruman! They killed many of the children, saying that we had no need for such innocence and youth. We were to be soldiers destined to destroy Rohan. I was not of the belief that we would turn on the house of our fathers. Though I am not of noble blood, I believed in it enough to respect that blood. We betrayed Dunland and fled back to the mountains, desperate to find a home at last."

"And you have found one, indeed," Elessar said quietly. "Did the men of Lake Town not welcome you?"

"They did," Buffy affirmed. "But I was hoping that…" She turned to look at Éomer. "I think you know what its like to return home after a long, long war in which you didn't think you'd ever get to see that house again. You would never see your family. Everything you took for granted that you wanted back so much is standing right there, but inside you just feel like nothing will ever be the same." She gestured at Mauve and Daire. "These women did nothing to wrong you. They command the greatest army of the north. We stood aside King Thranduil of the Mirkwood Realm. We fought aside the brothers of Dúnedain."

"We saved her from the Witch King," Elessar nodded.

Glancing at the women and at Elessar's rather knowing smile, he felt as though he were being surrounded on all sides. "What would you have me do?" he growled, meeting this woman's eyes again.

"I just want you to listen," she replied quietly.

"You would do well to listen to her," Daire spoke up. "She is Buffy, the Lady of Shadows of the North. I am Daire… her daughter. This is Mauve, her great lieutenant."

"You are the Lady of Shadow?" Éomer asked, regarding this woman in a new light. "Great power and respect you commanded amongst my Rohirrim."

"Your… huh?" she asked, her brow furrowed.

And yet, the beginning of a great healing process had slowly, yet abruptly, begun.

x-x-x

"Hail, lady!"

"Welcome, Buffy!"

"My lady!"

As Buffy walked through a long throng of women in red cloaks, she heard cries of greeting, yet she didn't really catch them. She lifted her hand to welcome and wave but her mind was already on the journey at hand. After spending hour after hour inside that room with the King of Rohan, her headache was doing a samba against the inside of her skull. She would do just about anything at this moment for an Orc to kill. Daire and Mauve followed behind her, but they knew her well enough to give her space when she was foul in temperament.

She made her way to the stables, where the horse she had ridden south had been prepared for her. Daire followed her inside, looking uncomfortable. "Buffy," she said quietly, closing the stable doors behind her, sealing them inside. "Must you go now? Surely if you were to succeed in the healing between our peoples, it would do you well to attend to Edoras first."

"That's the thing," Buffy said impatiently, bending down to inspect a large number of weapons and other gear that had been added to the simple saddle. "I don't know how much longer I can wait."

Daire reached forward and took Buffy's hand, pulling it away from the saddle. "You have all of the time in the world, my lady. You owe this to your people."

Buffy wanted to spit out that she really owed them nothing, but in a way, it wasn't true. They had taken her in, after all. She would have died or at the very least she would have been turned into Sauron's personal slave. They had saved her from what she could have been and in a way, she was more grateful than she had ever been. But this was important in restoring a tie to Rohan. She knew that if it was the will of Rohan's King, she would have to see it through.

"As far as Edoras," Buffy said dryly as Daire gave a small, triumphant grin. "Then I will go east."

"That is all I ask," Daire replied, beaming. As Buffy straightened, Daire suddenly threw herself at the smaller woman, her arms tightening around the woman she had come to regard as her true mother, as she had not known her own. "My heart goes with you," she whispered as Buffy returned the hug, somewhat hesitantly. "All of our hearts will go with you."

"I know," Buffy whispered, feeling as though a piece of her was breaking away to travel home with these strong, valiant women. "And you know that all of my being and my soul are with you."

"This much is obvious," Daire said, pulling back and dabbing at her watering eyes. "You are the greatest thing that could have happened to us. Whatever luck we hold in receiving your mercy and your training… it has all been such a blessing. If you are to believe even in your darkest hour that you have done nothing, believe that you given us the greatest gift of all."

x-x-x

The road to Edoras was long and Buffy was far from patient. Though she had agreed to go on this journey, it didn't mean she did it willingly. King Éomer and the rest of his knights were perfectly content to leave her be, especially after the first time they'd met. Her women seemed keen to spend the last of their precious time together by her side. King Elessar and his knights were happy to trail off behind them. It seemed a dull journey until they arrived in Rohan, but Buffy knew it would only go from there.

The one who had yet to speak with her barely acknowledged her existence since she had told him she couldn't love him, not the way he deserved. He rode with Elessar, happy to converse with the other Elves of his house. They often had spoken with her when she was in Gondor, but even that seemed a distant yet happy memory. Even though she could not care for him the way she knew he deserved, she felt as though this was the best thing to do. To make him wait for her whenever she emerged was a curse worse than death, and he could still die. Bitter as these thoughts were, they redeemed her resolve to travel east.

Edoras was nothing like Minas Tirith or any other place she knew, really. Humble and rather desolate were they greeted. And yet Buffy kept her resolve. She was doing this to heal hurts and to resolve old wounds that were opened hundreds of years ago. She had to believe her people had a better future, a future they deserved.

The funeral for King Théoden did not last as long as funerals Buffy had been to, especially her mother's. Though it seemed so long ago, it was hard to believe that less than a year ago in the other world her mother had died. And yet each hour that passed brought her closer to a long and very lonely road.

A new dawn brought with it the promise of a journey. There were riders in the valley already preparing for the ride to Isengard. Buffy held closer to the stables, making certain that her horse could bear her as far as Ithilien before she crossed north of Mordor. She was taking the Dead Plain to the east instead of passing through the realm that had once held such a hold over her. It was just a bad idea to go back there. She wasn't ready. Not yet.

"Buffy."

She had never seen Daire look so small. Despite the fact she had a good head over her, Buffy looked at her daughter as looking at her through the eyes of time. "You'd better get ready," she said in a voice quite unlike her own. "They'll be leaving soon."

"I could not leave without saying goodbye," the younger woman said hopefully.

Buffy let her hands fall from her saddle as she looked at the women now gathering behind their new leader. "We've been saying goodbye since we met up again," she replied with a slight laugh. "There isn't any more to say that hasn't already been said. You're good women… you'll do great things. And I can't wait to see them when I get back."

"And you will come back," Daire replied. "After all, you must see your grandchildren."

"I am so not ready for grandkids," Buffy grinned as Daire came forward and held her hand out. Buffy clasped her wrist. After a moment, the women began to move away. Mauve lingered a moment to gaze upon the woman she had served from the beginning. They exchanged a warm smile before Mauve finally moved away.

Now alone, Buffy turned and managed to get atop her horse. Had she been anyone but the Slayer, this feat would have been impossible. Once she had steadied herself, she began to move downhill.

Lifting her hand against the rising sun, she found herself gazing at a scene in which time seemed to stop. Many banners rippled in the early morning breeze. People were shouting and calling to one another in different languages. There was friendship there, camaraderie too. It was something she had never found in Sunnydale. It was nothing she had expected to see. Living in this world had opened her eyes to a new reality. She had been so small in her thinking back then… back in Sunnydale… back home…

Closing her eyes, she nudged her steed forward only to realize someone was sitting directly in her path.

"What are you doing here?" she asked Legolas quietly, trying to calm her riled steed. "Aren't you going to miss the journey?"

"You know as well as I that it will take a great time before they start moving," he said calmly, clearly pleased by her irritation. "You mean not to go with them."

"I never wanted to go anywhere," Buffy replied edgily. "I just wanted to get away."

"You will never change, will you?"

"I don't see what that has to do with the fact you're not exactly letting me go," she snapped. He was amused by her loss of control, as he had played her temper for years. "Would you please, _please _let me pass?"

He slowly moved aside, allowing her steed to finally race past him down the hill.

"Damn it," she hissed under her breath, realizing one thing. She glanced over her shoulder. He was wearing that cross again. "What are you trying to pull?" she shouted back.

"I 'pull' nothing," he replied calmly, easing Arod down beside her. "I am not the one with a temper of a warg."

She would have growled at him had she spoken then. Instead, her eyes glanced fixedly on his chest. "Why are you doing this?"

"The last time you left, you disappeared for years. I never thought to see you alive again and now that I have, I owe it to my father to not let his ally fall in the Far East."

"That's a load of bull and you know it."

She was challenging him. He would not take the bait. "My lady, I only do as any would do in my position."

"And what position is this?" she asked, glaring at him as she folded her arms. Her horse seemed to stand still, as though afraid of her master's temper. Well, anyone except perhaps Daire would be fearful of Buffy's mood at this time.

"You know of what I speak." Through their connected eyes, Buffy felt a strange sensation in her abdomen. Why did he keep bringing up _that _lapse of judgment?

"What about the gulls?"

"They will wait."

"And your father? You know that once he finds out, he's totally going to kill you."

"He will understand."

"Right. He'll understand over your dead body."

"If it comes to that."

"Why would you sacrifice that for me?"

He gazed into her face, slightly reddened from her anger. He took a moment to consider his words before he spoke again.

"You cannot go alone."

"I always _was _alone. At least until those stupid people took me in!"

"Had you been alone, you would have joined Sauron. Even you must see this."

"I _know_," she snapped irritably. "I'm just trying to figure out why you're so happy to jump into the face of death again. In case you forgot, I can't die. You can."

"Then I shall have to seek your protection."

"My… my protection?" That certainly had a different ring to it. "You're a thousand years old and you'd want a _woman _to protect you?"

"Not just any woman," he said brightly, riding beside her and through the lower gates of the city. "It could be no other woman _than _you."

"Oh, you're just asking for it!" she shouted at his back as he continued into the valley. "Once your father gets through with you, I might have to take my shot!"

"Then let us make it back in one piece so that he may get such an opportunity," he called back.

"You are so difficult!"

As she rode beside him, they watched as the entire stock of horses and riders in the valley turned west. At last, the two riders stood alone, staring at one another. It was a mark of loyalty that had lasted decades that would even allow him to consider following her. She just figured she could talk him out of it before his puny, pale neck got itself in peril. She had her ways. And if he was anything like his father, he would soon see his own.

Nudging her horse again, she turned east to the reddened sky. Pink stretches of puffy clouds soared over her head and she felt her breath sway away. Yet another beautiful sunrise in a quasi-paradise. "Now," she whispered, leaning down to her steed's ear. "Let's get that horizon."

Both horses took off, cantering across an endless valley towards the infinite horizon. Wherever the journey lay beyond that, she was ready for it.

She had been born for this.

x-x-x-x

_End._


End file.
